Armenian Assembly of America
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Phone: 202-393-3434
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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: [email protected]
SENATOR CHAFEE AFFIRMS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Congressional Record Statement Marks Senator’s First Public
Declaration
Washington, DC – Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), in his first ever
public statement acknowledging the Armenian Genocide, marked the 90th
anniversary of this crime against humanity saying that “Remembering
the victims is our duty to the past and to the future.”
The first-term Senator’s full statement commemorating the Armenian
Genocide was published in the April 25 Congressional Record that said
in part:
“Yesterday marked the 90th anniversary of the beginning of the
Armenian Genocide. A date of great significance for many Rhode
Islanders, and growing in significance for all Americans, this day not
only commemorates the atrocities of the past, but also reminds us that
it must not happen again.”
“The Assembly welcomes Senator Chafee’s affirmation of the Armenian
Genocide,” said Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. “The
Senator’s remarks build on previous statements by President Ronald
Reagan, Members of Congress and world-renowned scholars regarding the
incontestable historical fact of the Armenian Genocide.”
In November 1999, Chafee was appointed by former Rhode Island Governor
Lincoln Almond to fill the unexpired term of his father, the late
Senator John H. Chafee. He is a member of the Committee on Foreign
Relations and serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Near
Eastern and South Asian Affairs.
The Senator began his political career in 1985, when he was elected a
delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention. One year
later, he was elected to the first of two successive terms on the
Warwick City Council. In November 1992, he became the first
Republican elected Mayor of the City of Warwick in 32 years.
In the 108th Congress, Chafee was a cosponsor of S. 1557, a bill to
extend permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) to Armenia, which was
enacted into law last year. He also sent his staff to take part in an
Assembly-sponsored fact-finding Congressional Delegation to Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh in August of 2003.
The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.
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NR#2005-035
A photograph of Senator Chafee is available at the following link:
Editor’s Note: The full text of Senator’s Chafee’s Congressional
Record Statement is provided below.
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE — (Senate – April 25, 2005)
[Page: S4179] GPO’s PDF
—
Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, yesterday marked the 90th anniversary of
the beginning of the Armenian Genocide. A date of great significance
for many Rhode Islanders, and growing in significance for all
Americans, this day not only commemorates the atrocities of the past,
but also reminds us that it must not happen again. Remembering the
victims is our duty to the past and to the future.
The term “genocide” did not even exist when these atrocities
occurred from 1915 to 1923, yet the numbers are staggering. Over 1.5
million people perished. Over 500,000 people were forcibly removed
from their homes and their homeland. Armenian religious, political,
and intellectual leaders were killed. Men were removed from their
families and women and children were left vulnerable to deportation,
kidnapping, and starvation, and 132,000 Armenian orphans became foster
children in American families.
It is vital for the distinct identity of every culture to be honored
and celebrated. Over one and a half million Americans are of Armenian
heritage, and on this day we are grateful for their many contributions
to our country. Rhode Island and this entire Nation continue to
benefit from a strong and vibrant Armenian community.
-END-