Ishtartv.com
- massispost.com
17 April 2021
Mr. Joseph R. Biden Jr.
President of the United States of
America
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. President:
We, the spiritual leaders of the
Armenian Community in the United States of America, salute your praiseworthy
achievements during the hundred days of your presidency coinciding with global
existential crisis. Your priorities to rebuild a healthy society and promote
human rights are like the heavenly star leading to peace and prosperity.
On the 106th anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide we appeal to you with a keen, existential sense of urgency to
recognize the first Genocide of 20th century perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks
and request fair reparation for this crime against humanity. It is not sheer
coincidence that legal scholars have called the Genocide Convention the first
human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations.
The Armenian Genocide is not only
a historical tragedy, but as a Damoclean sword today is pending and threatening
the extermination of Armenia, the hosting country of Noah’s Ark. If there were
any doubts, in a “victory parade” in Baku on December 10, Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan praised the memory of Enver Pasha, one of the architects
of the Armenian Genocide. A genocide denied is a genocide repeated.
How current are the words
pronounced by His Holiness Pope Francis on the centennial of the Genocide in
2015:
“Today too we are experiencing a
sort of genocide created by general and collective indifference, by the
complicit silence of Cain, who cries out: “Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where
is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen
4:9)
In the past century our human
family has lived through three massive and unprecedented tragedies. The first,
which is widely considered “the first genocide of the twentieth century” (John
Paul II and Karekin II, Common Declaration, Etchmiadzin, 27 September 2001),
struck your own Armenian people, the first Christian nation, as well as
Catholic and Orthodox Syrians, Assyrians, Chaldeans and Greeks.”
Tiny as it is, Armenia is an
outpost of democracy in a region often marred by suppression of what stands at
its core: Freedom. As the world’s first Christian nation, Armenia shares the
moral quest of the United States, its values, and its vision of peace and
prosperity.
We appeal to you to redress this
historical injustice:
Please proclaim April 24th as a
day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide. Non-recognition has emboldened
Turkey to carry out a genocidal policy in the region. This is why we say that
recognition is of existential importance for Armenia.
We urge you to fundamentally
reconsider U.S. military and political relations with Turkey. It has been
obvious for some time now that the increasing bellicosity of Turkey is
incompatible with the foreign policy pursued by the U.S. and its role in the
world envisioned by the Founding Fathers.
Please allow us to quote at some
length from a 2020 speech that defines the urgency of our appeal:
“Today we remember the atrocities
faced by the Armenian people in the Metz Yeghern — the Armenian Genocide. From
1915 to 1923, almost 2 million Armenians were deported en masse, and 1.5
million men, women, and children were killed. Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans,
Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians were also targeted. We must
never forget or remain silent about this horrific and systematic campaign of
extermination. And we will forever respect the perseverance of the Armenian
people in the wake of such tragedy.
“It is particularly important to
speak these words and commemorate this history at a moment when we are reminded
daily of the power of truth, and of our shared responsibility to stand against
hate — because silence is complicity. If we do not fully acknowledge,
commemorate, and teach our children about genocide, the words “never again”
lose their meaning.”
We thank you for these brave
words that you pronounced last year, Mr. President.
Very few men have the power to
shape History. You are one of them, and American Armenians look up to you with
pride and hope.
We pray that Divine wisdom leads
your endeavors and fulfills your mission with success, generating peace,
justice, mutual respect, and prosperity for the Land of the Brave and for
mankind at large.
Sincerely,
Archb. Hovnan Derderian, Primate,
Western Diocese
Archb. Anoushavan Tanielian,
Prelate, Eastern Prelacy
Bishop Daniel Findikian, Primate,
Eastern Diocese
Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate,
Western Prelacy
Bishop Mikhael Mouradian, Eparch
Arm. Catholic Eparchy
Rev. Berdj Jambazian, Minister,
Arm. Evangelical Union
Zaven Khanjian, Executive
Director AMAA
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