April 20, 2005

This is my first public statement as Ambassador of Armenia to the United States, and it is symbolic that the solemn occasion is the 90 th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The Genocide that took lives of one and a half million Armenians and deprived them of their ancestral homeland continues to be unprecedented in its enormity, scale, and brutality to this day and remains inadequately recognized by the international community.

Ninety years after the Genocide, this tragedy reverberates in the hearts and minds of all Armenians, who still live with the memory of suffering that is not mitigated by recognition and explicit condemnation of that crime. There is more than ample historical and documentary evidence on the Armenian Genocide, and there are Armenian survivors who witnessed the atrocities, massacres, and death marches. However, ninety years later all of us still expect that the world’s declaration of the universality of human rights and human dignity will lead to universal recognition that Genocide was committed against Armenians.

Many countries have recognized the Armenian Genocide, as did the European Parliament and 37 American states. The question arises whether this is sufficient or not? The criteria on which such judgment can be made should also include whether the world has been able to uproot the triumph of evil that genocides represent. The genocides committed in Rwanda over a decade ago and in the African region of Darfur that is taking place currently are a sad reminder that failure of civilization and human tragedy on such scale remains a viable threat today, in the twenty-first century, ninety years after the Armenian Genocide.

Therefore, the international recognition of the Armenian genocide is not only about historical justice or moral obligation– although these alone are sufficient reasons for consistently pursuing the issue. It is said that those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Therefore we must call things by their name: what happened to Armenians in the Ottoman Empire was Genocide, and any euphemism does not do justice to humanity, civilization, and our common pursuit of universal principles of human rights.

Dear friends,

We Armenians are often called to focus on the future and not on the history. Yet the recognition of the Armenian Genocide is not just a historical quest: it has direct bearing on current developments and prospects for peace and stability in South Caucasus region.

I would not be original in stating that history is a factor in the political decision-making, including in foreign policy. Rejectionism, revisionism, and inability to come to terms with history have an effect on the current Turkish foreign policy which as a result ends up serving the purpose of justifying its historical conduct.

The best proof for truth is factual evidence. Consider the following facts of Turkish domestic and international policies. Since 1991, the newly independent Armenia has consistently proposed and is proposing to establish normal relations and direct trade with Turkey, without preconditions. This could create normal environment for discussing the outstanding issues in Turkish-Armenian relations. Turkey’s response was to rebuff Armenia’s sincere intentions, and to establish a blockade on Armenia. Although Turkey could have contributed to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, they instead directly sided with Azerbaijan, prioritizing ethnic solidarity over their international obligations, and worked to isolate Armenia, thus prolonging the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Wasn’t it a similar attitude that caused Turkey to deny access for the United States forces during the Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003? Turkish response was to engage in anti-American rhetoric and to deny permission even for overflights, which, according to the U.S. Defense Secretary, resulted in higher insurgency in northern Iraq.

In sum, one can see how often the Turkish reaction to the current events in the outside world is modeled on thinking and rhetoric, which does not befit a modern nation aspiring for membership in the European Union.

Many EU members are making the acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide a litmus test of Turkey’s willingness to address its human rights record and to embrace fundamental values. Many European leaders these days raise the issue in a straightforward and direct manner, thus helping to increase the awareness and understanding of this issue within the Turkish society and opening room for debate and dialog in Turkey itself.

To repent and try to overcome the political challenge of the past requires the Turkish leadership to display strength and courage, and Armenia would welcome it. Unfortunately, the domestic politics in Turkey instead suggests an opposite trend, as exemplified by a new wave of aggressive statements made in the Turkish parliament last week. This leaves us with no choice but to search for justice, to pursue the recognition of the Genocide and solution of present-day Turkish-Armenian problems internationally.

Therefore, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide remains on our foreign policy agenda since Armenians everywhere, be it in Armenia or in the Diaspora, feel a moral obligation before the memory of our ancestors, and they have a noble conviction that it will prevent genocides in the future. We also believe that this will help to normalize Turkish-Armenian relations and bring more security and stability to our region, and we will continue to work with our friends and partners in Europe and, in particular, in the United States to this end.

Armenia has been appreciative of invaluable U.S. contributions to sustaining Armenia’s statehood since its independence and to enhancing peace in Karabakh. I want to thank our friends on the Hill, including members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus and its Co-Chairs for their constant support of Armenia and Armenian issues over these years, and also for hosting tonight’s Congressional Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.

Throughout the history, we have witnessed U.S. leadership in standing up and voicing its principled position on the crimes against humanity. The recognition of the Armenian genocide by the United States will send a very powerful message to the entire world that genocides have no place in the twenty-first century and, what is even more important, that there is no statute of limitations for the genocidal acts. That would serve the noble goal of building a better world for our generations, a goal worthy of human civilization.