U.S. can become a state denying the Armenian Genocide along with Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - "The problem is in Turkey, which is afraid of its own history. But the failure to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide was followed by the Holocaust, massacres in Cambodia and Darfur…" AAA Country Director for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, Arpi Vartanian said in an interview with PanARMENIAN. Net.



"Some say 'leave it to the historians'. Well, first of all, history has documented what took place. Rafael Lemkin used the events of 1915 as a basis for coining the term 'genocide'. Numerous historians and scholars, including genocide scholars have called this 'genocide' If the Armenian Genocide is not recognized, then must we go back to the 1940s and deny Lemkin's words, no longer recognize the word genocide (because it was a word created, based on an event that did not exist?)" she said



"The AAA, in fact, the entire Armenian-American community, is being mobilized to aggressively combat this attack by Turkey. We are urging all of our supporters to work even harder to counter Turkey's campaign of denial. No vote is being taken for granted and all supporters of H.Res.106 are urged to once again contact their representatives, write letters to various media to express their hope that the U.S. will not succumb to Turkish blackmail and threats, to make sure that Members understand this is about affirming the U.S. record, affirming and recognizing the genocide, and that there is no 'right time.' If the U.S. House of Representatives votes down the Armenian Genocide resolution, it will mean that it joins Turkey's denial campaign."



She said, "One of my favorite quotes follows:



"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."



Martin Niemöller, German pastor and a Nazi regime dissident, 1946."

Full text of the interview