From the Armenian Genocide to the Holocaust at College of Saint Elizabeth

10 May, 2016

Remarks by Sahak Sargsyan, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Armenia to UN

Dear CSE students, faculty, administration and community,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations, I would like to express our gratitude to the College of Saint Elizabeth Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education for putting together this symbolic event and considering us among invitees. Our special thanks go to all program sponsors and supporters including Dadourian Foundation and New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, as well as to our distinguished and renowned keynote speakers Dr. Berenbaum and Dr. Hovannissian. Our appreciation to the President of College of Saint Elizabeth Dr. Streubert for her welcoming remarks. Congratulations to Dr. Sepinwall for her life-long commitment and dedication to the program.

Let me start by recalling Ambassador Morgenthau’s words when he met with Talaat Pasha, Minister of Interior and Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1918, who asked Ambassador: “Why are you so interested in the Armenians anyway? You are a Jew, these people are Christians…” Morgenthau replied: “You don’t seem to realize that I am not here as a Jew but as the American Ambassador.….I do not appeal to you in the name of any race or religion, but merely as a human being…” Henry Morgenthau was US Ambassador to Ottoman Turkey and served in that capacity from 1913 to 1916.

We know that the genocide is the worst form of human rights violations, the ultimate expression of racism and discrimination, and is the most heinous crime against humanity. The Armenian Genocide was the most well-known human rights issue of its time and was largely documented by thousands of official records of a number of countries around the world, including the Ottoman Empire’s wartime allies Germany, Austria and Hungary, by the Ottoman court-martial records, by eyewitness accounts of missionaries and diplomats, by the testimony of survivors, and by decades of historical scholarship - well documented by the international scholarly, legal, and human rights community. Finally, it is officially recognized by a number of countries, several international organizations, including the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, the European Parliament, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars. 44 out of 50 U.S. states recognized this crime perpetrated against Armenians. It was an unprecedented crime aimed at eliminating the nation and depriving it of its homeland: a crime that continues to be an unhealed scar for each Armenian.

Unfortunately, the valuable lesson, which might have been learned from the Armenian Genocide went largely unnoticed. The 1915 Genocide was a crime against civilization and humanity, and its inadequate condemnation paved the way for similar crimes of mass murder in the future. If more attention had been centered on the slaughter of the innocent Armenian men, women and children, perhaps the tragedies of the Holocaust, Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur and atrocities including those currently perpetrated by ISIS might never have taken place. This is the valuable lesson each of us must learn. The lessons of the past should urge us to address the crime of genocide, including by tackling root causes, combating discrimination on any grounds and most importantly by preventing it in the future.

Today’s event comes to prove once again the strong linkage between the motivations of the perpetrators of two most heinous crimes ever committed against humanity – the Armenian Genocide and Holocaust. These two calamities have prompted Rafael Lemkin, a Polish lawyer of Jewish descent, to coin the term of “genocide” and draft “UN Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” adopted in 1948. It is important to remind the audience that Rafael Lemkin used the Armenian Genocide as a case study which had such an impact on him that it led to his future work as a relentless advocate of the prevention of genocide.

There is nothing new in stating that the role of education, including human rights education is indispensable, and we should continue promoting educational programs and projects that contribute to the prevention of genocide. No effort should be spared to raise the awareness of, educate and inform current and future generations about the causes, consequences and lessons of genocides and other atrocity crimes. The international community and every individual state need to strengthen its capacities of early warning and prevention mechanisms. Preventing genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity is an ongoing process that requires sustained efforts to build the resilience of societies to atrocity crimes by ensuring that the rule of law is respected and that all human rights are protected, without discrimination; by establishing legitimate and accountable national institutions; by managing diversity constructively; and by supporting a strong and diverse civil society and a pluralistic media.
Armenia has been continuously supporting and contributing to the elaboration of the mechanisms of prevention. In particular, Resolutions on Prevention of Genocide, consistently initiated by Armenia in the UN Human Rights Council since 2005, attach prominence to the critical functions of early warning and early action. Early signs of incitement of hatred and spread of violent extremism should remain a focus of a collective effort and action. Memorialization is also one of the most important ways for the prevention. By the commemoration and upholding dignity of the victims of the crimes against humanity including genocide, states and UN system, other international and regional organizations and individuals can keep their memory alive, raise awareness of the consequences of these heinous crimes and thereby educate the young generation on the importance of prevention of atrocities. As you may know, last September, Armenia tabled UNGA Res 69/323 designating December 9th “International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime”, which co-sponsored more than 80 member states including USA and Israel. Reaffirming the significance of the 1948 Convention, this Resolution also reiterates the responsibility of each State to protect its populations from genocide, including incitement to it, through appropriate and necessary means. It further states that fighting impunity for genocide is an important factor in its prevention. Last month, Armenia hosted the 2nd global forum “against the Crime of Genocide”, which explored the ways of international, regional and national mechanisms of prevention and accountability. We support the mandate of the UN Office on the Prevention of Genocide and Responsibility to Protect.
Symbolic reparations in the form of erecting monuments and memorials which can serve an important purpose in recognizing victims and helping to remind the affected communities that they will be guarded against these abuses happening again. A couple of weeks ago, a memorial depicting a woman with a child on her lap, which eternalizes the memory of the victims of the genocide of the Yezidis in Sinjar province in northern Iraq, was unveiled in the capital of Armenia.
Combating the Armenophobia and denial of the Armenian Genocide is not an issue that concerns only the Armenian people just like anti-Semitism is not an issue of concern only to the Jewish people. It is a collective responsibility as these are universal human rights issues. We all, in a civilized world, should stand united to prevent genocides and mass atrocities and fight against all forms and manifestations of racism, xenophobia and intolerance.

Thank you for your attention.

MFA RA
official website

Dual citizenship

Electronic visa

Visa applications