Senator Anthony Portantino hopes new US Administration will eventually recognize the Armenian Genocide
17:22,
YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. California State Senator Anthony Portantino hopes the new US Administration will eventually recognize the Armenian Genocide.
In a video statement for ARMENPRESS, the Senator recalled the adoption of the resolutions by the US Senate and the House of Representatives last year which recognized the Armenian Genocide and expressed hope that this year it will become an official US policy. He especially highlighted this step after the recent war against Artsakh.
“What transpired in the past year in Artsakh was a tragedy of historic proportions. I am heartbroken and knowing that people, I broke bread with when I was in Hadrut, were wounded and killed”, he said.
The Senator said he is proud to state that California has passed resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide and the sovereignty of Artsakh. “Washington should do the same. This atrocity from 100 years ago should be recognized. And what happened in Artsakh last year should be condemned. And we should all stand in solidarity with the Armenian people and the people of Artsakh.
We should always remember that the tragedies of the past need to be brought to the forefront in today’s consciousness so we can heal as a people. And what affects one of us, affects all of us. I am American, but I stand in solidarity with my Armenian friends and neighbors. Because it’s important that we unite behind this message of hope, this message of recognition. And a community needs to heal. Descendants need to know that their forebears did not die unrecognized. They are not just numbers, they were real people who suffered at the hands during this first Genocide of the 20th century”, he said, adding that they should always remember what happened 106 years ago.
He noted that the current US administration has always been a good friend of the Armenian people and hoped that they will do the right thing this year.
“I stand in solidarity with my friends and neighbors both in the US and across the globe, the Armenian Diaspora and those in Yerevan today to say “let’s recognize the Genocide and let’s remember the tragedy of our forebears so we can never face it again””, he said.