Obama Presses Turkey to Acknowledge Genocide

"The Armenian Weekly", Volume 74, No. 18, May 3, 2007

WASHINGTON—Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) pledged to continue his efforts to press Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide in a strongly worded statement submitted on April 28 to the Congressional Record marking the 93rd anniversary of this crime against humanity, reported the ANCA.

The statement by the Senator, who has been endorsed in the Democratic primaries by the ANCA, was one of 30 remarks by Senators and Representatives including those by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Joe Biden (D-Del.), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and DCCC chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered remarks at the April 23rd Armenian Genocide observance on Capitol Hill.

“Armenian-Americans value Senator Obama’s consistent and principled leadership in pressuring Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and to end its shameful campaign to deny this crime against humanity,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “He remains clearly the best positioned to bring about real change, real action, and real hope for an end to the cycle of genocide.”

In a statement issued to the Armenian-American community on Jan. 19, Sen. Obama had noted that “America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that President.”

Below are Sen. Obama’s remarks on April 28.

“Mr. President, last week, we paused in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, which was carried out by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923. Nearly 2 million Armenians were deported, and approximately 1.5 million of those deported were killed.

“It is imperative that we recognize the horrific acts carried out against the Armenian people as genocide and I will continue to stand with the Armenian-American community in calling for the government of Turkey to acknowledge it as such. The occurrence of the Armenian Genocide is a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming collection of historical evidence.

“I was deeply disturbed two years ago when the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia was fired after he used the term ‘genocide’ to describe the mass slaughter of Armenians. I called for Secretary Rice to closely examine what I believe is an untenable position taken by the U.S. government.

“I will continue to push for the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide, and I offer the Armenian people my condolences.”