Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont
Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
E-mail: ancawr@anca.org
Web:

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: April 25, 2007

Contact: Haig Hovsepian

Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANCA-WR Welcomes Armenian Genocide Proclamation from Mayor of Los
Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Armenian National Committee of America-Western
Region (ANCA-WR) welcomed a proclamation by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa in remembrance of the Armenian Genocide. This came just
days after the Mayor and the City Council of Los Angeles presented
the Armenian American community of Los Angeles with a resolution
recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

"The Mayor’s proclamation again signifies the deep commitment of
the City of Los Angeles to the protection of human rights and to end
the cycle of genocide," stated Andrew Kzirian, Executive Director of
the ANCA-WR. "The Mayor and the City of Los Angeles have served as
a beacon of moral leadership to the rest of the country – all
Angelenos should be proud of Mayor Villaraigosa and the City of Los
Angeles," he added.

The full text of the Proclamation is below.

The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization.

Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations
around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

###

Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

City of Los Angeles

Statement of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Armenian Genocide
Remembrance Day

Today – on the 92nd Anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian
Genocide – the people of Los Angeles stand in solidarity with
Armenians around the world in remembering the 1.5 million Armenian
men, women and children barbarically killed by the Ottoman Empire.

Almost a century of history has removed the horrors of the genocide
from our immediate collective consciousness. And yet as the
assassination of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink reminded us
in January, the pernicious threat of genocide denial still openly
thrives around the world.

As Mayor of America’s preeminent Armenian community, I urge all
Angelenos to reflect not only on the vast scale and ruthlessness of
genocide, but on the horror of the global silence under which it took
place. Today I urge Angelenos simply to never forget.

April 24, 2007