Truth Preserved, Justice Pursued
This April 24, as we solemnly mark 110 years since the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region honors the memory of the 1.5 million Armenians systematically exterminated by the Ottoman Turkish government from 1915 to 1923. We stand with reverence and resolve alongside the survivors and their descendants—custodians of truth, justice, and collective memory.
For over a century, the Turkish state has not only denied its crime, but has exported that denial as state policy. That denial has never existed in a vacuum—it has fueled further atrocities, most recently the genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s Indigenous Armenian population by Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s open and direct support.
Over 150,000 Indigenous Armenians were forcibly displaced from their ancestral homeland. Prisoners of war remain unjustly detained. Centuries of cultural and spiritual heritage face systematic erasure. These events are not disconnected from 1915—they are a direct continuation of the same genocidal policies and the impunity left unchecked.
We therefore call upon the United States and the international community not only to recognize the Armenian Genocide—as many now have—but to act. Recognition must lead to restitution. Statements must lead to consequences. The time has come to move beyond symbolism and confront ongoing injustice with real policy.
We also address the ongoing discourse around Armenia and Turkey “normalization” talks. While recognition and reparations have not been set by Armenia as a precondition for dialogue—and perhaps need not be—the truth remains: no stable or enduring peace is possible without addressing and eliminating the consequences of the Armenian Genocide at a national and societal level in Turkey. Without this reckoning, “normalization” becomes nothing more than a diplomatic smokescreen—one that deepens mistrust and distances peoples from true reconciliation.
We reaffirm that the path to lasting peace and regional stability runs through justice—not silence. The Armenian Genocide must be fully acknowledged, with reparations, restitution, and moral reckoning. The ongoing policies of displacement, erasure, and violence against Armenia and Armenians must be met with principled resistance.
At this critical moment, we are also compelled to express deep concern over any discourse—no matter the source—that dilutes or reframes the Armenian Genocide to suit political expediency. Whether it comes from Ankara or finds unsettling echoes within Yerevan, denial in any form is a betrayal of our history and a threat to our future.
For 110 years, Armenians have preserved the truth—through memory, resistance, and resilience. Today, we renew our sacred commitment to pursue justice: for our ancestors, for the people of Artsakh, and for all those who continue to face persecution.
Truth has been preserved for 110 years. Justice must now be served—and until it is, we will never stop preserving the truth and pursuing justice.
Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
