Remembrance Day

Eternal Flame at the Armenian Genocide Memorial

In 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were murdered in the final days of the Ottoman Empire.  April 24th is observed by Armenians all over the world as Genocide Remembrance Day to commemorate the victims of the 1915 massacre.  In Yerevan, thousands of people walk to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial on April 24th to lay flowers at the eternal flame.   

Armenian Genocide Memorial

Armenian Genocide recognition is one of the most emotionally fraught foreign policy issues alive today, and it is a major reason why the Turkey-Armenia border remains closed.  Turkey rejects the term genocide, saying there was no premeditation in the deaths, no systematic attempt to destroy a people.  In Turkey it remains a crime — “insulting Turkishness” — to raise the issue of what happened to the Armenians. 

As a Presidential candidate, Barack Obama vowed to recognize the 1915 atrocities as genocide if elected to the White House, but he has never uttered the word "genocide" while President.  Over the weekend President Obama delivered his Armenian Remembrance Day statement.  Turkey deemed it too strong; Armenia stated it was not enough.

The 12 slabs surrounding the Eternal Flame symbolize the 12 lost Armenian Provinces in present day Turkey

I am not writing this entry to cast judgment.  This issue is not for me to decide.  But I feel compelled to share this very important issue with friends and family back home.   April 24th marks a devastating chapter in Armenia's history, and we must keep its memory alive to honor the victims and ensure the terrible mistakes of the past never repeat themselves.