As part of his official visit to Armenia, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, accompanied by his wife, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Vance laid a wreath at the memorial commemorating the victims, after which the guests placed flowers at the eternal flame and observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the innocent lives lost, according to the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

The Vice President also left a message in the museum’s Honorary Guest Book.

“With deep respect for the lives lost, we honor the resilience and unshakable spirit of the Armenian people. May America and Armenia together strive for a future of peace and mutual understanding,” he wrote.

Edita Gzoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, presented Vance with books about the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.