04/23/09 - Remarks submitted for the Congressional Record --- Madam Speaker, I rise in sorrow and in solidarity with Armenians, with our fellow citizens of Armenian descent, and with all men and women of good will to recall the atrocities Armenians suffered in the early years of the last century. Contemporary accounts leave no doubt that indiscriminate massacres took place.

I understand that this topic evokes painful memories and raises difficult issues of national identity for persons of both Armenian and Turkish ancestry. Nonetheless, I believe that we must call genocide by its proper name and acknowledge it when it has occurred so that we may better learn to recognize and resist its horrors in the future. That includes recognizing the policies of the Ottoman Empire during World War I and its aftermath as genocidal.

International response to genocide has historically been inadequate at best, and we must do all we can to strengthen our resolve to prevent and punish such atrocities. Moreover, I believe that nations can move forward in fellowship when the past is confronted with honesty and courage. I hope to see the republics of Armenia and Turkey cooperate and jointly contribute to the stability of their troubled region.