05/06/14 - Statement submitted for the Congressional Record - Mr. President, last week, Armenians and friends of Armenians around the world solemnly remembered the horrific dislocation and slaughter that began in 1915 and resulted in more than 1.5 million deaths and another half million Armenians driven from their ancient homeland. The Armenian Genocide was carried out by the Ottoman Empire in its waning years amidst the chaos of World War I. For what was an undeniably gruesome period in human history, Theodore Roosevelt called the Armenian Genocide ``the greatest crime of the war.''

It is this terrible chapter, more than any other single event, that led to the Armenian diaspora, including in the United States and my home State of Rhode Island. For generations, the Armenian community has been a strong and hardworking part of our Rhode Island family, producing great leaders in both government and business. Whether at flag raising ceremonies, church festivals, the wonderful St. Vartanantz Annual Bazaar at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet, or at commemorations of the Armenian Genocide at the monument in the North Burial Ground in Providence, Armenians are part of the fabric of Rhode Island.

Since achieving independence after the fall of the Soviet Union, Armenia has at last established a foothold for democracy in the Caucasus after centuries of outside domination and totalitarian rule. I have long supported foreign assistance to Armenia to help grow its economy and strengthen its Democratic institutions, and I will continue to do so.

But perhaps the most meaningful thing we can do for Armenia and for Armenians in Rhode Island is to help cast a light on that brutal genocide 99 years ago. To this day, too many people are unaware of this tragedy, due in part to the unwillingness of some to call it what it was. But make no mistake; the slaughter of innocent Armenians was genocide , plain and simple. Indeed, our modern term ``genocide'' was first coined to describe both the Jewish Holocaust and the plight of the Armenians under Ottoman persecution.

Along with my Rhode Island colleague Senator JACK REED, I have proudly cosponsored resolutions in the Senate condemning the genocide and calling on the President of the United States to ensure that U.S. foreign policy appropriately and without equivocation reflects the realities of the Armenian Genocide . This solemn recognition is important not only to so many Armenians in Rhode Island and throughout the world, but to our human obligation to the truth.