April 15th Capitol Hill Commemoration and Congressional Staff Briefing will Link 1915 and 1923 Genocides to Present-Day Armenian Security and Artsakh’s Right of Return
WASHINGTON – Members of Congress will join with Armenian Americans and allies from across the United States on Wednesday, April 15th for the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide observance and a Congressional briefing challenging the failure of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process to address Turkey and Azerbaijan’s unanswered crimes against the Armenian nation.
The Capitol Hill program opens with a 1 p.m. Congressional briefing, “Peace Without Justice in the South Caucasus,” hosted by the Armenian National Committee of America in Cannon HOB Room 130. Later that evening, the Armenian Genocide Congressional Commemoration – titled “Armenian Genocide: From Remembrance to Responsibility | Justice for a Century of Genocide | Armenia | Artsakh | 1915-2023” – will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Rayburn HOB Foyer.
Both events will be live webcast on ANCA social media channels.
“Remembrance – a moral imperative, necessary to combat denial – is a requirement of truth. Truth in the service of justice; justice in the service of security – the key to lasting peace,”said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “On April 15th, the Armenian American community and our Congressional allies will reaffirm our collective commitment to justice – the release of Armenian hostages, the return of Artsakh refugees, and the restoration of desecrated Christian holy sites.”
Capitol Hill Armenian and Artsakh Genocide Observance
The evening Congressional Armenian Genocide Commemoration is co-hosted by the ANCA and the Armenian Assembly of America, in cooperation with the Congressional Armenian Caucus. It marks the most recent iteration of a decades-long tradition of annual Capitol Hill observances dating back to the first Capitol Hill commemoration, in 1965, marking the 50th anniversary of this crime.
This year’s program comes as Turkey and Azerbaijan’s genocidal crimes against the Armenian nation – from 1915 to 2023 – remain unaddressed and ongoing. Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives, including Artsakh leaders, continue to languish in Azerbaijani detention. More than 150,000 Artsakh Armenians remain forcibly displaced from their homes. And Azerbaijan continues to occupy sovereign Armenian territory while pressing demands designed to foreclose any prospect of justice, accountability, or return.
Bus transportation to the Rayburn HOB Foyer is available, departing from Soorp Khatch Armenian Apostolic Church, 4906 Flint Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816, at 4:30 p.m. Buses will return immediately after the program. To reserve a spot, email [email protected] or call Elizabeth Chouldjian at (703) 585-8254.
Capitol Hill Staff Briefing: Peace without Justice in the South Caucasus
The 1 p.m. briefing is open to congressional staff and members of the public and will offer an expert assessment of the outstanding humanitarian and security issues that risk undermining any just and durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
In August 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initialed a draft peace agreement at the White House. While presented as a diplomatic breakthrough, the agreement drew immediate concern from human rights and security experts for its failure to address critical unresolved issues — including the release of Armenian prisoners of war, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from sovereign Armenian territory, the protection of Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh, and the right of return for the more than 150,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from their homes in 2023.
The White House summit also announced the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” – or TRIPP – a proposal under which Armenia would grant a U.S.-operated consortium exclusive development and management rights over a multi-modal transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhichevan and onward to Turkey, under a 49-year lease extendable to 99 years.
The briefing will feature a round table discussion with two subject-matter experts:
Dr. Robert Krikorian: Retired Senior State Department Official with more than two decades as an intelligence analyst and senior adviser in State’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research, and Ph.D. in History and Eurasian Studies from Harvard University.
Karnig Kerkonian, Esq.: International Human Rights Lawyer and founding partner of Kerkonian Dajani LLP, with expertise in complex litigation, international sanctions regimes, and public international law; J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School; Diploma in Public International Law from Cambridge University.
To register for the 1: pm briefing, visit The ANCA website.
ANCA Legislative Priorities
The ANCA continues to press Congress to take concrete action alongside any peace process, advancing three key pieces of bipartisan legislation:
The Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act of 2025 (H.R.5369), led by Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), directs the Trump-Vance Administration to review the applicability of Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for war crimes, human rights abuses, and the ongoing illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives.
The ARMENIA Security Partnership Act (H.R.6840), led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), would prohibit the president from waiving Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan unless the Aliyev regime takes concrete steps toward a lasting peace with Armenia.
The Armenian Genocide Education Act (H.R.2585), led by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) and joined by Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA), directs the Library of Congress to implement a nationwide education program about the genocide committed by the Ottoman Turkish Government from 1915 to 1923 against Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians.
Armenian Americans and allies are encouraged to contact their Senators and Representatives to encourage them to attend the April 15th events and to visit the ANCA action website for the latest advocacy resources.
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