WASHINGTON, DC—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the leading Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today released the following statement regarding the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

“The passage of time does not diminish the need for justice. On today's solemn centennial of the Armenian genocide, I grieve with the nation of Armenia--in Yerevan, across the Armenian countryside, and around the world.

“It is long past time for Turkey to come to grips with its past and face it with honesty and courage.

“Make no mistake, what happened to the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 was truly a genocide and that is clear for all who have eyes to see. Indeed, this was the first genocide of a century that would sear that brutal word on the conscience of humanity and evoke the cry of ‘never again.’

“Today, let us all recommit ourselves to preventing such a tragedy from recurring and continuing to work for the justice and reconciliation necessary for true peace.”

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