Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th Street, NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
April 22, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
SEN. KERRY CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
— Democratic Presidential Hopeful Outlines Strong History of
Support for Armenian American Concerns in April 24th statement
— Senator’s Record on Armenian Issues Detailed on
WASHINGTON, DC Democratic Presidential hopeful, Sen. John Kerry,
called for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide
today, in a statement issued to Armenian Americans marking the 89th
anniversary of that crime against humanity, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
An outspoken advocate of U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
Senator Kerry stated “I join Armenian Americans and Armenians
worldwide in mourning the victims of the Armenian Genocide and I
call on governments and people everywhere to formally recognize
this tragedy. Only by learning from this dark period of history
and working to prevent future genocides can we truly honor the
memories of those Armenians who suffered so unjustly.” Earlier
this week, Senator Kerry joined 22 of his Senate colleagues calling
on President Bush to “refer to the mass slaughter of Armenians as
genocide in your commemorative statement.” He was amongst the
earliest cosponsors of the Genocide resolution (S.Res.164), which
marks the 15th anniversary of the U.S. implementation of the
Genocide Convention.
“With this most recent statement honoring the victims of the
Armenian Genocide, Sen. Kerry builds on his two decade long record
of support for proper U.S. recognition of this crime against
humanity,” stated Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.) “This election
season, we look forward to ensuring that our community is fully
aware of the Senator’s record on the Armenian Genocide and all
issues of concern to Armenian American voters.”
In the statement, Sen. Kerry outlined his longstanding support for
a broad range of Armenian American concerns. “In 1992, I authored
an amendment to the Freedom Support Act making U.S. aid to
Azerbaijan conditional on it taking steps to end its blockades
against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I supported the Humanitarian
Aid Corridor Act in 1996, which prohibits U.S. assistance to any
country that restricts the delivery of U.S. humanitarian aid to
another country. In 2003, I cosponsored legislation to extend
“permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) to Armenia. This
January, I joined Senators Barbara Boxer, George Allen, Paul
Sarbanes, Russ Feingold, and Jon Corzine in asking the President to
urge Turkey to lift its embargo of Armenia.”
Senator Kerry’s complete record on Armenian American concerns is
posted on the Armenians For Kerry website:
The website includes previous statements by the Senator and provides
ways for Armenian American supporters to become active in the Kerry
campaign through donations or other volunteer efforts.
The complete text of Sen. Kerry’s statement follows.
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Statement by Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry
In Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide
“April 24th marks the 89th anniversary of the beginning of the
Armenian Genocide. Between 1915 and 1923 the rulers of the old
Ottoman Empire killed or deported over 1.5 million Armenian men,
women and children in a systematic policy of ethnic determination.”
“I thank Armenian Americans for their persistence in the struggle
to gain international recognition of this atrocity. By keeping the
memory of this tragedy alive, Armenian Americans remind us all of
our collective responsibility to insure that such horrors are not
repeated. I am proud of my work with the Armenian American
community to gain broader recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
including fighting alongside Senator Robert Dole in 1990 for
designation of April 24 as a national day of remembrance for this
tragedy.”
“I have been an unwavering supporter of many other important
Armenian issues. In 1992, I authored an amendment to the Freedom
Support Act making U.S. aid to Azerbaijan conditional on it taking
steps to end its blockades against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. I
supported the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act in 1996 which prohibits
U.S. assistance to any country that restricts the delivery of U.S.
humanitarian aid to another country. In 2003, I cosponsored
legislation to extend “permanent normal trade relations” (PNTR) to
Armenia. This January, I joined Senators Barbara Boxer, George
Allen, Paul Sarbanes, Russ Feingold, and Jon Corzine in asking the
President to urge Turkey to lift its embargo of Armenia.”
“I join Armenian Americans and Armenians worldwide in mourning the
victims of the Armenian Genocide and I call on governments and
people everywhere to formally recognize this tragedy. Only by
learning from this dark period of history and working to prevent
future genocides can we truly honor the memories of those Armenians
who suffered so unjustly.”
#####