California starts ’genocide’ mourn
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Ümit Enginsoy
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 18, 2009 00:00
WASHINGTON - California has declared next week to be ’days for the remembrance of the Armenian genocide.’ This is the fifth consecutive year, the week around April 24 has been designated for the remembrance of the "genocide" under California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
California, the most populated state in the United States, has declared the week of April 19-26 to be "days of remembrance of the Armenian genocide."
California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former movie actor, said in his proclamation Thursday that nearly "1.5 million Armenians had been killed and 500,000 others had been forced out of their homeland" during the last years of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.
This is the fifth consecutive year that the week including April 24 has been designated for remembrance of the "genocide" under Schwarzenegger.
"We honor that commitment as we stand with our Armenian friends and neighbors here and across the world in remembering and acknowledging the genocide, the families it destroyed and the history it changed," Arnold Schwarzenegger said.
"We do not like to recall such sorrows, but we must so that we can learn from history and renew our efforts to make sure nothing like this ever happens again," he said.
U.S. Armenian groups praised Schwarzenegger’s move.
Seeking federal government’s recognition
Schwarzenegger, an Austrian immigrant, was elected California’s governor in 2004 and has since backed the Armenian cause. A large Armenian-American community lives in California. Forty-two of the 50 U.S. states have recognized World War I-era killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide. But the federal government has declined to make a similar recognition.
Armenians are urging the federal government’s executive and legislative branches to formally recognize what they see as the "Armenian genocide." Turkey warns that any such U.S. recognition would damage relations between the two nations in a major and lasting way.
U.S. presidents designate April 24 as the day of remembrance for Armenian deaths.
California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a former movie actor, said in his proclamation Thursday that nearly "1.5 million Armenians had been killed and 500,000 others had been forced out of their homeland" during the last years of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.
This is the fifth consecutive year that the week including April 24 has been designated for remembrance of the "genocide" under Schwarzenegger.
"We honor that commitment as we stand with our Armenian friends and neighbors here and across the world in remembering and acknowledging the genocide, the families it destroyed and the history it changed," Arnold Schwarzenegger said.
"We do not like to recall such sorrows, but we must so that we can learn from history and renew our efforts to make sure nothing like this ever happens again," he said.
U.S. Armenian groups praised Schwarzenegger’s move.
Seeking federal government’s recognition
Schwarzenegger, an Austrian immigrant, was elected California’s governor in 2004 and has since backed the Armenian cause. A large Armenian-American community lives in California. Forty-two of the 50 U.S. states have recognized World War I-era killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide. But the federal government has declined to make a similar recognition.
Armenians are urging the federal government’s executive and legislative branches to formally recognize what they see as the "Armenian genocide." Turkey warns that any such U.S. recognition would damage relations between the two nations in a major and lasting way.
U.S. presidents designate April 24 as the day of remembrance for Armenian deaths.