[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2015

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the start of the Armenian Genocide.
  In 1915, the Ottoman Empire orchestrated a murderous campaign that 
resulted in the death of 1.5 million Armenian men, women, and children, 
and forced hundreds of thousands into exile. Growing up in the land of 
William Saroyan, I learned the stories of this tragic time from the 
sons and daughters of survivors time and time again. Refusal to 
accurately recognize this crime against humanity as genocide hurts both 
the Armenian people and the American people.
  In the Central Valley, Fresno State University has designated April 
24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. The unveiling of the Armenian 
Genocide Monument, the first of its kind on a U.S. college campus, will 
take place later today at my alma mater and I know that this memorial 
will serve as a somber reminder of the devastating violence committed 
against the Armenian people for generations to come.
  Achieving peace today requires recognizing the dark parts of our 
history and moving forward to find a place of understanding and 
cooperation. It is my hope that Turkey grasps what President Obama has 
referred to as the burden of unresolved history and takes this 
important first step in recognizing what is widely referred to as the 
first genocide of the twentieth century.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect that I ask my colleagues in the 
U.S. House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the 100th 
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Acknowledging this atrocity would 
finally allow a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution 
of this crime against humanity. It is time for Congress to end the 
silence and stand up for the Armenian people.

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