Bush, George H.W. (1989-93)

Armenian Remembrance Day, April 20, 1990

Throughout this century, the United States has had a special, enduring relationship with the Armenian people. Armenians around the world share with their friends in the United States a love of freedom, and as proud people they have a strong commitment to the preservation of their heritage and culture.

Their history, though marked by a number of tragedies, nonetheless reflects their faith and the strength and resilience of their tradition. Those tragedies include the Earthquake of 1988 and, most prominently, the terrible massacres suffered in 1915-1923 at the hands of the rulers of the Ottoman Empire.

The United States responded to the victims of the crime against humanity by leading international diplomatic and private relief efforts.

The Armenian-American community now numbers nearly one million people. Those who emigrated to the United States, and their descendants, continue to make significant contributions to the betterment of our country in many fields of endeavor.

On this seventy-fifth anniversary of the massacres, I wish to join with Armenians and all peoples in observing April 24, 1990 as a day of remembrance for the more than a million Armenian people who were victims. I call upon all peoples to work to prevent future acts of inhumanity against mankind, and my comments of June 1988 represent the depth of my feeling for the Armenian people and the sufferings they have endured.

Back to U.S. Presidential Statements