04/29/14 - Statement submitted for the Congressional Record on the Armenian Genocide - Mr. Speaker, on April 24th we commemorate the Armenian Genocide--the deportation, forced march and massacre of 1.5 million innocent Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago. In what has become a bitter annual ritual for Armenian -Americans and those who stand with them, we once again call upon the Obama Administration and the United States Congress to formally and officially recognize the Armenian Genocide as a tragic and unambiguous fact of history. Such recognition is critical to fortifying America's moral standing in the international community and, as we prepare in the coming year to mark the 100th anniversary of this tragedy, is long and painfully overdue.

04/24/14 - Media statement issued - TOWSON - U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) today released the following statement to mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide:

'Today we commemorate the Armenian Genocide -- the deportation, forced march and massacre of 1.5 million innocent Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago.

'In what has become a bitter annual ritual for Armenian-Americans and those who stand with them, we once again call upon the Obama Administration and the United States Congress to formally and officially recognize the Armenian Genocide as a tragic and unambiguous fact of history. Such recognition is critical to fortifying America?s moral standing in the international community and, as we prepare in the coming year to mark the 100th anniversary of this tragedy, is long and painfully overdue.'

04/25/13 - Remarks submitted for the Congressional Record - Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of the innocents that perished in 1915 during the Armenian Genocide.

With a systematic barbarism visited upon them, countless Armenians made their way to Syria seeking refuge from persecution. Today, the world is aghast at the horrific violence engulfing Syria and the Armenian people are once again threatened with upheaval and dislocation.

Each year, the United States Congress has the opportunity to stand with justice and recognize the Armenian Genocide. Such action would fortify America's moral standing in the family of nations and send a strong message to our NATO ally Turkey that it must examine the dark chapters of its past and the discriminatory impulses of its present.

Turkey has repeatedly thwarted efforts by Congress and successive administrations to recognize the Armenian Genocide by threatening all manner of retaliation should recognition be accorded. I submit that we do no favors to Turkey by acquiescing in its cynical campaign. Turkey's path to the European Union, its abysmal relations with its ethnic and religious minorities, particularly its violent conflict with the Kurdish people, would all improve if the Armenian Genocide was addressed openly and honestly.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in 2015, it is time for the United States to formally recognize this tragic chapter in world history and to bring some measure of peace and healing to those of Armenian descent.

04/23/13 - Remarks offered on the House Floor on the Armenian Genocide -
(Mr. SARBANES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. SARBANES. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the memory of the innocent men, women, and children who perished in 1915 during the Armenian genocide .

Each year, the United States Congress has the opportunity to stand on the side of justice and recognize the Armenian genocide . Such action would fortify America's moral standing in the family of nations and send a strong message to our NATO ally, Turkey, that it must examine the dark chapters of its past and the discriminatory impulses of its present.

Turkey has repeatedly thwarted efforts by Congress and successive administrations to recognize the Armenian genocide by threatening all manner of retaliation should recognition be accorded. I submit that we do no favors to Turkey by acquiescing in its cynical campaign.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 2015, it is time for the United States to formally recognize this tragic chapter in world history and to bring some measure of peace and healing to those of Armenian descent.

03/13/13 - Statement submitted for the Congressional Record on NKR - Mr. Speaker, peace and stability in the Caucuses is in the national interest of the United States and our European allies. That means achieving a peaceful resolution to the rising tensions between the peoples of Armenia and Azerbaijan . A final status of the Nagorno Karabakh dispute must be achieved without resorting to war and must be in keeping with democratic principles, the rule of law and the protection of individual human rights.

Decades of Soviet rule and the continuing dispute over Nagorno Karabakh have decimated the economy of Armenia. In stark contrast, Azerbaijan now enjoys a growing economy from the extraction of natural resources. This economic imbalance is further aggravated by the fact that both Turkey and Azerbaijan have sealed their borders with Armenia, with Azerbaijan pursuing an aggressive military build-up.

The United States must continue to press for resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh dispute through the good offices and mechanisms of international actors such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We must be ever vigilant in decrying actions that undermine such efforts. I concur with the Obama administration's demand for an explanation of Azerbaijan's pardoning of Ramil Safarov. Azerbaijan's decision to pardon Ramil Safarov after he was convicted by a Hungarian court for the murder of an Armenian soldier while participating in NATO's Partnership for Peace program is not only unconscionable, it is a direct affront to NATO and its efforts to bring peace and stability to conflict regions through the Partnership for Peace program.