On April 9th the Embassy of Armenia to the United States joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and Capitol Hill staffers, the Armenian National Committee of America, the Armenian Assembly of America and members of the Armenian-American community for the annual Capitol Hill commemoration of the Armenian Genocide at the Senate Hart Office Building.

Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Jackie Speier (D-CA), Vice Co-Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), Representatives TJ Cox (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Brad Sherman, Katherine Clark (D-MA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Bradley Schneider (D-IL), Pete Visclosky (D-IN) attended the event and delivered remarks on the importance of condemning and recognizing the Armenian Genocide and supporting the new Armenian government’s democratic reforms. In his remarks Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan thanked the Armenian Caucus and all those who have supported and continue to support the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and stressed the importance of condemning one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century as an important step towards preventing future genocides.

The new Armenian Genocide Resolution, introduced by Congressmen Adam Schiff and Gus Bilirakis and joined by over 70 Members of the US Congress, calls on “commemorating the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance”, “rejecting efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the US Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide” and “encouraging education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the US role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity”.