Serzh Sargsyan hails Rep. Schiff’s efforts for Armenian Genocide recognition by Congress

April 14, 2010 - 12:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian President Serzh Sargsyanmet with Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) in Washington on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit.

Mr. Sargsyan thanked the Congressman for his efforts for recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. Congress and for support to Armenia and Artsakh, presidential press office reported.

Congressman Adam B. Schiff representing California's 29th Congressional District is one of the authors of Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 252) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 4, 2010. Rep. Schiff also speaks out for increasing humanitarian aid to Nagorno Karabakh, maintenance of parity in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan and observance of section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.

The Freedom Support Act (FSA) is the main mechanism for giving foreign aid to countries of the former Soviet Union. Section 907 prohibits certain types of direct U.S. assistance to the government of Azerbaijan until it has ended its aggression and lifted its blockades against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

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.