Esteemed President Lerman,
Distinguished Members of the Board,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the opportunity to meet with you and visit the U.S. Holocaust Museum.

The very distinct nature of this honored Museum is very impressive. For me, this has little to do with the fact that I am a Head of State, but rather that I happen to be an Armenian. Because of the commonality of experiences of our two ancient nations, any Armenian visiting this museum feels all the pains and sorrows flowing from our own collective memory. A similar institution that we have in Armenia, though modest and less elaborate, serves the same purposes as this Holocaust Museum - to educate people and, at the same time, consecrate the memory of the multitudes of innocent victims.

Hitler's cynical statement of "Who remembers the annihilation of the Armenians" is displayed and highlighted on a granite wall of the Museum's Exhibition Hall. As we would like to express our appreciation for this marked affirmation of the historical reality of the Armenian Genocide, we should also pose and ponder about the deeper implications of this display. The civilized world's manifest indifference to the atrocities and Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenian people was a fact that later significantly motivated the Nazis to conceive, decide and organize the Jewish Holocaust. Let us, therefore, be mindful of the fact that there is a tangible link between the tragedy of the Holocaust and the world's obliviousness to the Armenian Genocide.

Indeed, nothing emboldens a criminal so much as the knowledge that he can get away with the crime.

As we are about to enter the 21st century, Armenia still faces the oppressive spirit of deliberate and insistent denial of the great catastrophe of World War I. However, truth is something that cannot be and should not be subject to bargaining. There can be no doubt that we will continue to strive, to the utmost limits of our means, to achieve the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. We will do that, if for no other reason, than for the sake of the victims' memory; for the sake of peace and reconciliation; and for helping mankind to learn from its gross inhumanity with the hope to help prevent future atrocities against any people.

I would like to take this opportunity to propose to go beyond perceived tradition and form a partnership between two peoples that have experienced historical persecution, decimation, and genocide. Let us work together to validate a partnership to generate such progress -- by re-engaging our institutions, our communities and our societies -- in a conscious search for and constant redefinition of our common interest.

One step to help forge this new partnership is to institute cooperation between the Holocaust Museum and the Genocide Institute and Museum in Yerevan, which will open doors to a larger array of joint activities.

The distinct, if not unique, experiences of our two nations are most suited for forging a common agenda toward a genuine partnership.

Thank you.