08/14 - Issued the following statement regarding Azeri aggression - I am deeply troubled by the resurgence of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh and hope Armenia and Azerbaijan can find a resolution to restore peace. I strongly condemn the use of sniper attacks by the Azerbaijani government, which is in direct violation of the cease-fire agreement and international law, and am appalled by reports that Azerbaijan forces attacked a Red Cross envoy. This continued aggression will only bring unrest and risks jeopardizing a cease-fire agreement that was put in place over 20 years ago. As both Presidents Sarkisian and Aliyev prepare to travel to Russia, I hope Azerbaijan will agree to stop these attacks to defuse the escalating violence and prevent the further loss of life.

06/26/14 - Leading advocates and speakers for HR 4347 return churches bill at HFAC mark up. ?Over the last century, Turkey has suppressed religious freedom and confiscated, destroyed or repurposed thousands of Christian properties, especially those belonging to Turkey?s Armenian community. The United States has a responsibility to condemn acts of religious intolerance and to protect and promote human rights across the globe,? said Cicilline, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. ?The Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act sends a clear message: Turkish leaders must do more to uphold their promises to return church properties to their rightful owners. The United States stands on the side of religious freedom and yesterday?s vote is an important step toward returning all remaining Christian properties and protecting religious minority groups from unfair discrimination.?

04/02/14 - Statements submitted for the Congressional Record on Kessab - Mr. Speaker, I join my colleagues in Congress in condemning attacks on the Syrian Armenian population in Kessab by extremist fighters connected to al-Qaeda. On March 21, al-Qaeda affiliated terrorists out of Turkey attacked the peaceful Christian -Armenian community in a town that has served as a place of refuge for those trying desperately to escape the bloodshed of the past three years. This brutal assault is yet another consequence of the increasingly dangerous violence in Syria that leaves innocent civilians with no choice but to again flee as they have already done from their homes in Aleppo.

This war and the escalating brutality in the past months have put far too many innocent civilians at risk and I am deeply troubled that recent events including mass exoduses and violent strikes upon the peaceful Armenian communities hark back to the early days of the Armenian Genocide under Ottoman rule nearly 100 years ago. No innocent civilian in any part of the world should be targeted because of their ancestry, ethnicity or religion, and I want to work with my colleagues to find a way to bring an end to such brutal attacks and the increasingly violent civil war ravaging the region that has left over 100,000 dead and forced over 2 million to flee their homes and communities. I will work with my colleagues on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to help find a diplomatic solution to this crisis and ensure that Armenians of Kessab and Aleppo can return to their peaceful lives.

02/28/14 - Statement submitted for the Congressional Record on Sumgait - Mr. Speaker, today we commemorate the 26th Anniversary of the horrific Sumgait Pogroms. On February 27, 1988 organized mobs of Azerbaijanis aimed at killing and driving Armenian Christians living in Sumgait from their homes. Armed with sticks, axes and iron rods, they attacked Armenian men, women and children by breaking into their homes and brutally beating and killing them just because of their ethnicity. Despite Sumgait's 30 minute proximity to Baku, police allowed the pogroms to go on for 3 days, during which Armenians were burned alive and thrown from windows.

These acts were merely a continuation of the Azerbaijani authorities' unswerving policy of racism towards Armenians and ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population, with unpunished killings and deportations.

The Sumgait massacre is a black mark on history and sadly, this event sparked further violence as Armenians would be targeted less than 9 months later in Kirovabad and again in Baku in 1990.

The Azerbaijani Government has shamefully continued to undermine prospects for a lasting peace in the Southern Caucuses, recently in 2012, pardoning an Azerbaijani military officer Ramil Safarov who brutally murdered Armenian military officer Gurgen Margaryan during a NATO-sponsored Partnership for Peace exercise in 2004. Safarov confessed and was convicted in Budapest for brutally axing Margaryan while he was sleeping. Safarov never showed remorse for the murder and stated that he wished he had killed more Armenians. Immediately after his pardon Safarov received a promotion in the Azerbaijani military, an apartment, and years of back pay for his time spent in prison.

For more than 20 years, the people of Nagorno Karabakh have fought and died for their independence. From the earliest days of its formation, the Republic's freely elected governmental bodies have helped build an open democratic society through transparent elections and it is critical that the United States support their independence and autonomy.

As we reflect on these horrific outbreaks of ethnic violence, I join with Armenians in Rhode Island, and across the world in remembering these victims and renewing our commitment to justice, independence and finding lasting peace.

I am proud to say Rhode Island was the first state in our nation to pass a resolution to recognize the Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and set an example for other legislatures to follow, like Massachusetts, Maine and Louisiana. The time has come for the United States Congress to do the same.

02/20/14: In a tweet timed with the AYF international effort, Rep. Cicilline marked the 10th anniversary of the brutal murder of Armenian Lt. Gurgen Margaryan by Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, stating ?On the 10th Anniversary of the brutal death of Lt. Gurgen Margaryan, we honor his memory & rededicate ourselves to #Justice4Margaryan.? http://asbarez.com/119766/members-of-congress-join-global-protest-of-margaryan-murder/

04/24/13 - Remarks delivered on the House Floor - The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline) is recognized for 1 minute.

There was no objection.

Mr. CICILLINE. Mr. Speaker, as the Representative for Rhode Island's First Congressional District, which is home to many Armenian American families, I am honored to rise today in order to thank His Eminence, Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, for offering our opening prayer and for recognizing the 98th anniversary of the start of the Armenian genocide.

A native of Aleppo, Syria, Archbishop Choloyan was first ordained into the priesthood in 1967. He attended the American University of Beirut where he majored in history and later received two master's degrees from the Princeton Theological Seminary. Since 1998, Archbishop Choloyan has served as the prelate of the Eastern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America and has focused his efforts on strengthening local faith communities under his jurisdiction.

On behalf of the Armenian community in my home State of Rhode Island, I am honored to welcome the archbishop here today and to join him in remembering the victims of the Armenian genocide--the systematic extermination of Armenians living under the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.

I join members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues in urging that our government finally recognize the Armenian genocide as a historical fact.