US Senators Press Hillary Clinton to Disavow Calling Armenian Genocide a ‘Historical Debate’

The lead authors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.304, Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Robert Dold (R-IL), today sent a letter, co-signed by 59 of their House colleagues, calling on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to renounce her recent public mischaracterization of the Armenian Genocide as a “historical debate,” reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In their letter to Secretary Clinton, the signatories noted that her, “historically inaccurate description of the Armenian Genocide as an open question, in addition to the offense it represents to Armenian Americans and other victims of genocide, provides American encouragement to the Republic of Turkey in its shameful campaign of denial.” They also reminded the Secretary that in 2006 she joined with US President Barack Obama — then a US Senator — in writing a letter explaining to then US President George W. Bush that the Armenian Genocide was a “systematic and deliberate campaign of genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. . . The victims of the Genocide deserve our remembrance and their rightful place in history. . . .It is in the best interests of our nation and the entire global community to remember the past and learn from these crimes against humanity to ensure that they are never repeated.” The Congressional letter also quoted then Senator Clinton’s public statement in 2008 when, as a Senator and candidate for the presidency, she affirmed that: “[T]he horrible events perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians constitute a clear case of genocide,” and that “[o]ur common morality and our nation’s credibility as a voice for human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian Genocide be recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of the United States.”

“We want to thank Congressmen Schiff and Dold and each and every one of the signatories of this Congressional letter for calling on Secretary Clinton to step back from her historically inaccurate and deeply offensive assertion that the Armenian Genocide is a matter for historical debate,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We remain hopeful that the Secretary, after having allowed this false statement to remain on the record for more than a month, will — in response to this Congressional letter and the Armenian-American community’s growing outrage — finally recognize and, to the extent possible, seek to reverse the impact of this sad episode in undermining the advancement of US interests, compromising the promotion of American values, and hindering the diplomatic work of the Department of State.”

Secretary Clinton is scheduled to testify and answer questions before four separate US House and Senate panels this coming week. ANCA has called on legislators serving on these committees to question her about her offensive “historical debate” comments, on and the full range of other issues of special importance to Armenian-American voters.