April 22, 1997

April 22, 1997 -- Armenian Remembrance Day

Each year on Remembrance Day, we join Armenian-Americans across our nation and the Armenian Community around the world in solemnly marking one of the darkest chapters in the history of the twentieth century: the massacre of untold thousands of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923. We remember the victims of that terrible time, some one and a half million innocent people who suffered deportation and death.

The Armenian people responded nobly to this tragedy. Holding fast to their heritage and their faith, Armenians established vibrant and prosperous communities throughout the world. The United States has benefited greatly from the contributions of the many Armenian-Americans who have played leadership roles in every aspect of our national life.

Over the decades of this century, Armenians around the world kept alive the vision of an independent Armenia, and in 1991 that dream became a reality. Today Armenia is a free and sovereign state, a living monument to the memory of those who died eighty-two years ago and a lasting pledge that such a tragedy never again will occur.

To preserve the historic establishment of a free Armenia, we must redouble our commitment to peace and stability in the Caucasus region. It is in this spirit of peace that I extend to all Armenians my best wishes as we solemnly observe Remembrance Day.

Bill Clinton