[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5754]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

  (Mr. SARBANES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of the 
innocent men, women, and children who perished in 1915 during the 
Armenian genocide.
  Each year, the United States Congress has the opportunity to stand on 
the side of justice and recognize the Armenian genocide. Such action 
would fortify America's moral standing in the family of nations and 
send a strong message to our NATO ally, Turkey, that it must examine 
the dark chapters of its past and the discriminatory impulses of its 
present.
  Turkey has repeatedly thwarted efforts by Congress and successive 
administrations to recognize the Armenian genocide by threatening all 
manner of retaliation should recognition be accorded. I submit that we 
do no favors to Turkey by acquiescing in its cynical campaign.
  As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 
2015, it is time for the United States to formally recognize this 
tragic chapter in world history and to bring some measure of peace and 
healing to those of Armenian descent.

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