Ninety-Second Commenmoration of the Amenian Genocide
Floor Speech
NINETY-SECOND COMMEMORATION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
* Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, today is a day of remembrance and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, one of the darkest chapters of World War I, and the first of the series of genocides we saw in the 20th Century. We set today aside to remember, as we do every year, because it is essential to reflect upon these terrible events, but we also do so because we know that the Armenian people must continually confront and surmount the legacies and the consequences of those dark days.
* The writer Milan Kundera once wrote that ``The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.'' There are those that would deny the Armenian Genocide, just as there are those that deny the reality of the Nazi Holocaust. In commemorating the Armenian Genocide we collectively engage in that struggle of memory against forgetting. We do this not only to remember the past, but to reaffirm our commitment to prevent such things from ever happening again, and to strive towards making a better future for the Armenian people.
* It has taken Armenia decades to reach a point where its people could enjoy their rights as a free people. Today, we have an opportunity and a responsibility to help ensure that the Armenian people can build a better future. And so, I look forward to continuing to work with the Armenian-American community and Members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenia to address the issues facing this longtime friend and important ally of the United States, so that together we build something positive, something hopeful, something good for the futute--a peaceful, prosperous and secure Armenia.
* The Armenian Genocide is sometimes called the ``Forgotten Genocide.'' In fact, as most of you know, back in 1939, prior to the invasion of Poland, Adolph Hitler argued that his plans for a Jewish holocaust would in the end be tolerated by the West, stating: ``After all, who remembers the Armenians.'' But we do remember, and we shall never forget. And our memory and commemoration is stronger than the hate of those who would perpetrate the greatest crime known to humanity, the attempt to exterminate an entire people.
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