— As we mark this anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we are reminded of the Armenians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) – who today have been forced from their ancestral homeland by a genocidal Azerbaijani regime hell-bent on the eradication of the Armenian people.
— The systematic slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians over a century ago was a crime so horrific that no term yet existed to describe the scale of tragedy. A crime that served as the blueprint for the Holocaust – and every genocide that followed. Yet despite our commitment to ensure this crime is never repeated, the Armenian people once again face the scourge of genocide.
— The Armenian Genocide never ended. It continued in Turkey’s denial, in the destruction and desecration of Armenian cultural heritage, and in the ideology of hatred that continues to fuel the persecution of the Armenian people today – at the hands of Azerbaijan.
— We must not let “never again” happen again. “Never again” cannot just be a slogan or a platitude – it must be call for action to prevent genocide before it happens, and redress injustice by holding its perpetrators accountable. It continued not only in deed, but in methodology – as Armenians were again subject to starvation, the deprivation of conditions necessary to sustain life, through the destruction of cultural heritage, historical revisionism and dehumanization.
— After a century of Turkey’s systematic denial of the Armenian Genocide – a century of impunity for crimes against humanity – it comes as no surprise that Azerbaijan felt it could continue this crime without consequence. Our failure to respond and punish the perpetrators of modern-day genocide is a green-light for any would-be genocidal dictator.
— The victims and survivors of the 1915 genocide never saw justice. But it’s not too late to ensure justice for the victims of Azerbaijan’s genocidal crimes today. That means cutting U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan, imposing sanctions on those guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity, ensuring the release of every Armenian prisoner of war and civilian captive, and guaranteeing the right of Armenians to return to their homes.
— Unlike the genocide of 1915, the genocide we witnessed unfold in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) last year is one that can be reversed. That is why it is imperative that the U.S. government take immediate action to ensure the fundamental right of Artsakh’s Armenians to return to their homes – under international guarantees for their safety, security and dignity.
— 109 years ago, the United States undertook an unprecedented humanitarian effort to save the lives of Armenian refugees and orphans – allocating billions of dollars in today’s money with the support of Congress. Today, we have seen successive administrators send military assistance to Azerbaijan’s genocidal regime. The American people should not be subsidizing Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenians. We must honor our proud history of aiding the victims of the Armenian Genocide by supporting those in need – and by immediately ending aid to Azerbaijan.
— As Azerbaijan continues to threaten sovereign Armenian territory today, we must make it clear to Baku’s regime that there will be consequences for its actions. As we work towards peace in the region, we must learn from the mistakes of history – and pursue accountability over appeasement. We must sue for a durable and dignified peace in the region – one that recognizes that peace is not possible when the perpetrators of genocide are granted impunity.
— With violent authoritarianism and the persecution of minorities on the rise across the world today – the only way we can hope to prevent genocide is to punish the perpetrators of the most egregious crimes against humanity – and put our principles over political expediency.
