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Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day
President Obama
See Also : PM Erdogan's message
Today we commemorate the Meds Yeghern and honor those who perished in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. We recall the horror of what happened ninety-nine years ago, when 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire, and we grieve for the lives lost and the suffering endured by those men, women, and children. We are joined in solemn commemoration by millions in the United States and across the world. In so doing, we remind ourselves of our shared commitment to ensure that such dark chapters of human history are never again repeated.
I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed. A full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our interests. Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past. We continue to learn this lesson in the United States, as we strive to reconcile some of the darkest moments in our own history. We recognize and commend the growing number of courageous Armenians and Turks who have already taken this path, and encourage more to do so, with the backing of their governments, and mine. And we recall with pride the humanitarian efforts undertaken by the American Committee for Syrian and Armenian Relief, funded by donations from Americans, which saved the lives of countless Armenians and others from vulnerable communities displaced in 1915.
As we honor through remembrance those Armenian lives that were unjustly taken in 1915, we are inspired by the extraordinary courage and great resiliency of the Armenian people in the face of such tremendous adversity and suffering. I applaud the countless contributions that Armenian-Americans have made to American society, culture, and communities. We share a common commitment to supporting the Armenian people as they work to build a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous nation.
Today, our thoughts and prayers are with Armenians everywhere, as we recall the horror of the Meds Yeghern, honor the memory of those lost, and reaffirm our enduring commitment to the people of Armenia and to the principle that such atrocities must always be remembered if we are to prevent them from occurring ever again.
See Also : PM Erdogan's message
Turkish American Joint Letter
President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, DC
DearMr.President:
April 23 is the day that the Turkish Parliament was established in 1920, to resist the Allied invasion and occupation of Anatolia and to declare a revolution against the Ottoman Empire. It is also the day when people of Turkish heritage celebrate the future, by honoring their children. April 23 is the celebration of the renewal of life and hope. The Turkish and Turkic American community of over 800,000 host activities nationwide for our children and their school friends.
As World War I, and the Ottoman civil wars, and the Turkish War of Independence were at a tremendous human cost, resulting in the deaths and displacement of over 4 Million Ottoman Muslims, our grandparents and parents preferred not to discuss the past. Similarly, hoping to move forward in peace, we did not pass their pain, suffering and anger to our children, today's young Turkish Americans.
Unfortunately, we have not been able to escape the horrors of the past, because our fellow-Armenian Americans accuse us of genocide. We have had to teach our selves our history, so that we can defend ourselves against these severe accusations that manifest themselves in state and federal resolutions and proclamations, and unconstitutional laws that contravene U.S. foreign policy on this matter.
We are aware that you may make a statement regarding Armenian suffering in World War I, and respectfully ask that you please give our community the benefit of the doubt, reserve judgment, acknowledge Turkish and Muslim suffering, and encourage honest dialogue and reconciliation without characterizing the events of 1915 as genocide.
While we Turkish Americans sympathize deeply with the losses of our Anatolian brethren, the Armenians, we believe that reconciliation must take into honest account the broader human tragedy of World War I, as over 40 nations were carved from the Ottoman Empire by multitudes of nationalist movements, some of whom, such as the Armenian Ottomans, were unsuspecting proxies of Russia and Great Britain. It was indeed a "great catastrophe" that befell Ottoman Armenians; as the first Prime Minister of Armenia Hovhannes Katchaznouni stated in 1919, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation chose to war against the Ottoman Empire rather than negotiate.
Respectfully,
Mehmet Celebi
President, ATAA
1526 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Atilla Pak
President, FTAA
821 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Adem Buyukacar
Secretary General, TACC
9704 Good Luck Road
Lanham, MD 20706
Javid Huseynov, Ph.D.
General Director, AAC
PO Box 50370
Irvine, CA 92619
Statement by the President on Armenian Remembrance Day
President Obama
See Also : PM Erdogan's message
Today we commemorate the Meds Yeghern and honor those who perished in one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century. We recall the horror of what happened ninety-nine years ago, when 1.5 million Armenians were massacred or marched to their deaths in the final days of the Ottoman Empire, and we grieve for the lives lost and the suffering endured by those men, women, and children. We are joined in solemn commemoration by millions in the United States and across the world. In so doing, we remind ourselves of our shared commitment to ensure that such dark chapters of human history are never again repeated.
I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view has not changed. A full, frank, and just acknowledgement of the facts is in all of our interests. Peoples and nations grow stronger, and build a foundation for a more just and tolerant future, by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past. We continue to learn this lesson in the United States, as we strive to reconcile some of the darkest moments in our own history. We recognize and commend the growing number of courageous Armenians and Turks who have already taken this path, and encourage more to do so, with the backing of their governments, and mine. And we recall with pride the humanitarian efforts undertaken by the American Committee for Syrian and Armenian Relief, funded by donations from Americans, which saved the lives of countless Armenians and others from vulnerable communities displaced in 1915.
As we honor through remembrance those Armenian lives that were unjustly taken in 1915, we are inspired by the extraordinary courage and great resiliency of the Armenian people in the face of such tremendous adversity and suffering. I applaud the countless contributions that Armenian-Americans have made to American society, culture, and communities. We share a common commitment to supporting the Armenian people as they work to build a democratic, peaceful, and prosperous nation.
Today, our thoughts and prayers are with Armenians everywhere, as we recall the horror of the Meds Yeghern, honor the memory of those lost, and reaffirm our enduring commitment to the people of Armenia and to the principle that such atrocities must always be remembered if we are to prevent them from occurring ever again.
See Also : PM Erdogan's message
Turkish American Joint Letter
to President Obama Regarding April 24 Statement
April 23, 2014
President Barack Obama
The White House
Washington, DC
DearMr.President:
April 23 is the day that the Turkish Parliament was established in 1920, to resist the Allied invasion and occupation of Anatolia and to declare a revolution against the Ottoman Empire. It is also the day when people of Turkish heritage celebrate the future, by honoring their children. April 23 is the celebration of the renewal of life and hope. The Turkish and Turkic American community of over 800,000 host activities nationwide for our children and their school friends.
As World War I, and the Ottoman civil wars, and the Turkish War of Independence were at a tremendous human cost, resulting in the deaths and displacement of over 4 Million Ottoman Muslims, our grandparents and parents preferred not to discuss the past. Similarly, hoping to move forward in peace, we did not pass their pain, suffering and anger to our children, today's young Turkish Americans.
Unfortunately, we have not been able to escape the horrors of the past, because our fellow-Armenian Americans accuse us of genocide. We have had to teach our selves our history, so that we can defend ourselves against these severe accusations that manifest themselves in state and federal resolutions and proclamations, and unconstitutional laws that contravene U.S. foreign policy on this matter.
We are aware that you may make a statement regarding Armenian suffering in World War I, and respectfully ask that you please give our community the benefit of the doubt, reserve judgment, acknowledge Turkish and Muslim suffering, and encourage honest dialogue and reconciliation without characterizing the events of 1915 as genocide.
While we Turkish Americans sympathize deeply with the losses of our Anatolian brethren, the Armenians, we believe that reconciliation must take into honest account the broader human tragedy of World War I, as over 40 nations were carved from the Ottoman Empire by multitudes of nationalist movements, some of whom, such as the Armenian Ottomans, were unsuspecting proxies of Russia and Great Britain. It was indeed a "great catastrophe" that befell Ottoman Armenians; as the first Prime Minister of Armenia Hovhannes Katchaznouni stated in 1919, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation chose to war against the Ottoman Empire rather than negotiate.
Respectfully,
Mehmet Celebi
President, ATAA
1526 18th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Atilla Pak
President, FTAA
821 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Adem Buyukacar
Secretary General, TACC
9704 Good Luck Road
Lanham, MD 20706
Javid Huseynov, Ph.D.
General Director, AAC
PO Box 50370
Irvine, CA 92619