MCCAIN: IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO RECOGNIZE 1915 TRAGIC EVENTS

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.10.2008 16:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The McCain-Palin campaign issued a letter to the
Armenian-American community. In the letter, Senator John McCain
(R-AZ) wrote that he is "grateful for all of the contributions
that Armenian-Americans have made to our wonderful country,"
and that he "greatly value[s] the opportunity to stand with the
Armenian-American community," the Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly) told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Regarding U..S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, the statement
refrains from referring to the events of 1915-1923 as genocide, and
instead employs a dictionary definition. McCain said, "It is fair to
say that one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, the brutal
murder of as many as one and a half million Armenians under the rule
of the Ottoman Empire, has also been one of the most neglected. The
suffering endured by the Armenian people during that period represented
the prologue to what has come to be known as humanity’s bloodiest
century." He added that "It is our responsibility to recognize those
tragic events and to ensure that our world never experiences the
impact of the bloody conflicts that so filled the 20th century."

McCain also thanked Armenia for her "support of coalition operations
in Iraq and NATO peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo."