Pence asked for honest U.S. remembrance of Armenian Genocide

March 25, 2019 - 11:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian National Committee of America’s Government Affairs Director Raffi Karakashian called for honest American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, during a one-on-one discussion with Vice President Mike Pence that also touched on the Trump-Pence Administration’s continuing efforts to protect and preserve Christian minorities and other at-risk populations across the Middle East.

Karakashian briefly spoke with the Vice President on March 14, per a post on the ANCA’s social media platforms.

ANCA-Indiana advocate Zohrab Tazian and the ANCA staff in Washington, DC have engaged with Vice President Pence since his first election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2000. The ANCA, which, in 2005, welcomed his votes in the House Foreign Affairs Committee for the Armenian Genocide resolutions H.Con.Res.195 and H.Res.316, expressed sharp disappointment at his Committee votes against similar measures, H.Res.106 and H.Res.252 in 2007 and 2010, respectively.

In both 2007 and 2010, during remarks before the Foreign Affairs Committee, he reaffirmed the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide, but explained that he would oppose the resolutions because he felt Turkey’s response would be harmful to U.S. interests.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.