Congressional Armenian Caucus 150 members strong

April 17, 2010 - 11:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On the heels of last month's approval of H. Res. 252 the Armenian Genocide resolution by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA), Niki Tsongas (D-MA) and Jim Matheson (D-UT) joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, bringing the number of members to 150, the Armenian National Committee of America told PanARMENIAN.Net

In January of this year, Congresswoman Chu met with her Armenian-American constituents and Assembly Western Region Director Yeghig Keshishian, where she pledged to cosponsor H. Res. 252 and join the Caucus.

Last month, Congresswoman Tsongas, an original cosponsor of H. Res. 252, joined the Armenian Caucus after meeting with ARAMAC-MA State Chair Herman Purutyan and fellow Armenian-American constituents. "I am fortunate to represent a large Armenian community in the Merrimack Valley and as a member of the Armenian Caucus I look forward to continuing to promote the mutual interests of our two countries and celebrate our rich shared history," said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. "I will also continue to work to see that the mass murders committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians are appropriately recognized as genocide through the passage of the long-overdue Armenian genocide resolution in Congress."

The Armenian Genocide resolution

The resolution affirming the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide (H.Res.252) was formally introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Adam Schiff (D.-CA), George Radanovich (R.-CA), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D.-NJ), and Mark Kirk (R.-Ill). On March 4, 2010 it was adopted with a 22-21 vote by the House Committee on Foreign Relations. A similar resolution was introduced in the Senate.

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.