President Bush: 24th April Statement and ANCA and AAA - White House, ANCA and AAA press Releases

Statement by President George W. Bush - April 24, 2002

Today, we commemorate an appalling tragedy of the 20th century, the massacre of as many as 1.5 million Armenians through forced exile and murder at the end of the Ottoman Empire. These horrific killings left wounds that remain painful for people in Armenia, in Turkey, and around the world. I join the Armenian community in America and across the globe in mourning this horrendous loss of life.

Today is an occasion for the world to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible events. It is a day for recognizing that demonizing others lays foundations for a dark cycle of hatred. Transcending this venomous pattern requires painful introspection about the past and wise determination to forge a new future based on truth and reconciliation. In this spirit, I look forward to Turkey's restoring economic, political, and cultural links with Armenia.

"in his second April 24th statement as President, again broke his pledge to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide"

ANCA

The United States greatly values the contributions that Armenians make to our national life. With faith and courage, generations of Armenians have overcome great suffering and proudly preserved their centuries-old culture, traditions and religion. The United States is also deeply grateful for Armenia's swift and decisive cooperation in the war against terrorism.

Just as the United States reached out to the Armenian people to provide shelter and freedom early in the last century, so did Armenia extend a supportive hand to the American people in the immediate aftermath of September 11th. Our two peoples stand together in this fight in support of values that define civilization itself.

I am also very proud of America's strong support for a free Armenian state, whose citizens enjoy the fruits of peace and increasing prosperity. In the months to come, America will continue to increase its security cooperation with Armenia and with Armenia's neighbors to combat terrorism and pursue a lasting and just settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which will strengthen peace and stability in the Caucasus. The United States will also continue its strong support for Armenia's efforts to develop democratic and free market institutions, and to deepen its integration into the Euro-Atlantic community.

On behalf of the American people, I send warm wishes and expressions of solidarity to the Armenian people on this solemn day of remembrance. Together, our nations look with hope and determination toward a future of peace, prosperity, and freedom.

[signed] George W. Bush

Armenian National Committee of America - Press Release - April 24, 2002

PRESIDENT BUSH AGAIN RETREATS FROM PLEDGE TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

WASHINGTON, DC - Despite having heard in recent weeks from over 162 U.S. Representatives who had urged him to recognize the Armenian Genocide as a "genocide," George W. Bush today, in his second April 24th statement as President, again broke his pledge to properly recognize the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a statement issued today, on April 24th, the annual day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide, the President again resorted to the use of evasive and euphemistic terminology to obscure the reality of Turkey's Genocide against the Armenian people.

"Sadly, today again we witnessed the continuation of this Administration's policy of complicity in the Turkish Government's denial the Armenian Genocide," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "While we appreciate the President taking the time to offer remarks on this solemn occasion, his support for Armenia's security and independence, and interest in a resolution of regional conflict, we remain - as a community and a people - deeply troubled by his failure to speak openly and honestly about the Armenian Genocide."

"We were particularly disappointed by the President's use of terms such as 'venomous patterns' and 'the dark cycle of hatred' - which cloud the clear-cut moral issues at stake in Turkey's genocide denials - at a time when he has called for 'moral clarity' in the conduct of our foreign affairs," added Hamparian.

Armenian Assembly of America - Press Release - April 24th 2002

PRESIDENT BUSH CALLS THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE "MURDER"

This Year's Statement Sends A Clear Signal To Turkey to Come to Terms With Its Past, Although Assembly Remains Disappointed at Failure to Use the Correct Term "Genocide"

WASHINGTON -In his statement of commemoration issued on the 87th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, President Bush today referred to the Armenian Genocide of 1915 as "murder". In so doing, President Bush invokes Ambassador Henry Morgenthau who at the time of the Genocide called the crimes "murder of a nation."

While the President expanded on his statement of last year, he did not go as far as the international community has gone. However, he clearly increased pressure on Turkey to come to terms with the Armenian Genocide and also laid a strong foundation for the expansion of U.S.-Armenian defense and security ties. He called on Turkey to lift its blockades and normalize relations with Armenia.

In his signed statement, President Bush said in part, "Today, we commemorate an appalling tragedy of the 20th century, the massacre of as many as 1.5 million Armenians through forced exile and murder at the end of the Ottoman Empire." He continued, "Today is an occasion for the world to reflect upon and draw lessons from these terrible events. It is a day for recognizing that demonizing others lays the foundation for a dark cycle of hatred. Transcending this venomous pattern requires painful introspection about the past and wise determination to forge a new future based on truth and reconciliation."

Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Peter Vosbikian said, "We are determined to continue to press for the full and definitive characterization of Ottoman Turkey's campaign against the Armenians. Nevertheless, we do appreciate that the President used stronger language than last year and was clearly sending a political signal to the Turkish Government, even at a time when Turkey is a major U.S. ally in the war on terrorism."

Vosbikian called the President's failure to use the word "genocide" disappointing, but said that in using the term "murder," which by definition implies criminality, he has characterized Ottoman Turkey's acts as criminal behavior.

"'President Bush has obviously rejected Turkey's efforts to deny the Genocide and equate Armenian and Turkish suffering at the beginning of the last century. He is unequivocally placing the burden on Turkey to come to terms with its past and seek truth and reconciliation," Vosbikian added.

"Without acknowledgement, without acceptance of its historical responsibility, Turkey undermines efforts at reconciliation in the Caucasus. On the world stage, it sets up the possibility for a repetition of such crimes against humanity," he said.

The President's statement also called on Turkey to normalize relations and end its embargoes of Armenians in the region. It said that he looked forward to "Turkey restoring economic, political, and cultural links with Armenia."

The statement called for a "lasting and just settlement" of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. The President thanked the Armenian government for its "swift and decisive cooperation in the war against terrorism" and reiterated his commitment to enhance U.S. defense and security cooperation efforts with Armenia. That commitment is considered particularly significant and followed U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's trip to Armenia and Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsian's successful trip to Washington.

President Bush also said that the U.S. was committed to helping build a democratic and prosperous Armenia. He said, "The United States will also continue its strong support for Armenia's efforts to develop democratic and free market institutions, and to deepen its integration into the Euro-Atlantic community."

Once again, he noted Armenian-Americans' important contributions, saying that the United States "greatly values the contributions that Armenians make to our national life. With faith and courage, generations of Armenians have overcome great suffering and proudly preserved their centuries-old culture, traditions, and religion."

Two years ago, then-candidate Bush promised to properly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. In a June 2, 2000 letter to the Armenian Assembly, he said, "Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension. Their travails should lead all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes against humanity. If elected president, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people."

Despite its disappointment, the Assembly credited a unified community in support of a congressional effort urging the President to issue a stronger and more comprehensive statement than last year and one that indicated a clear trend toward increasing U.S. pressure on Turkey.

One hundred and sixty-two Members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed a congressional letter urging President Bush to "go further than last year's" statement and specifically use the word "genocide." Initiated last November when the Assembly met with Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), the letter to the President garnered 55 more signatures than last year's appeal.

In the past year, the French and Italian Governments, the European Parliament (on at least two occasions) and the Vatican ignored Turkish threats and joined the growing list of countries around the world in reaffirming the Armenian Genocide. Twenty-eight American states are also on record affirming the Genocide.