GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER PROCLAIMS APRIL 19-26, 2009 AS "DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE"
AZG Armenian Daily
April 17 2009
Armenia
On April 16, 2009, the Armenian National Committee – Western Region
welcomed a proclamation from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
declaring the week of April 19-26, 2009 as "Days of Remembrance of
the Armenian Genocide."
"The Armenian American community offers its deep gratitude for
Gov. Schwarzenegger’s declaration and commitment to recognizing the
past so that genocides will not occur in the future," said Armenian
National Committee – Western Region (ANC-WR) Executive Director Andrew
Kzirian. "An important part of our educational efforts to end the
cycle of genocide and raise awareness of the Armenian Genocide and the
genocide taking place in Darfur is to ensure that the horrific crimes
of the past are not repeated," remarked Kzirian. "The Governor’s
proclamation is quite timely as it comes days before the eagerly
anticipated Armenian Genocide statement by President Obama. With
President Obama’s home state of Hawaii officially recognizing the
Armenian Genocide just days ago while the President visited Turkey,
the community is confident that the President will be clear in his
message on April 24," he added.
The proclamation reads in part, "Four years ago I signed a bill
that permanently recognized the Days of Remembrance of the Armenian
Genocide. This week, we honor that commitment as we stand with
our Armenian friends and neighbors here and across the world in
remembering and acknowledging the genocide, the families it destroyed
and the history it changed. We do not like to recall such sorrows,
but we must, so that we can learn from history and renew our efforts
to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."
This is the twelfth proclamation issued by the Office of the
Governor of California in the past thirteen years, and supplements
the seventeen proclamations by the California Assembly and Senate
dating back to 1991.