Today is a Day to Celebrate Armenia's Democratic Progress: Joe Biden

Former U.S. Vice President and Democratic Party representative Joe Biden congratulated the Armenian people on the occasion of Armenia's Independence Day and spoke about the necessity of recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the United States.

“28 years ago, the Armenian people took their future into their own hands and reaffirmed their independence from the Soviet Union. Today is a day to celebrate Armenia's democratic progress and to honor the history of Armenia. This history will remain incomplete until we acknowledge the Great Catastrophe—the Armenian Genocide—once and for all. Between 1915 and 1922, nearly two million Armenians were displaced, and 1.5 million men, women, and children were killed. We must never forget or remain silent about this horrific and mass act of extermination.”

Biden emphasized the importance of expressing these words of remembrance about this historical reality at a time when we are reminded every day that words hold the power to wound, and we have a shared responsibility to speak out against hatred because silence is sin. “If we do not fully recognize, mention, and educate our children about genocide, the words 'never again' will lose their meaning. Denial prepares the ground for future atrocities of a similar kind.”

I stand with the Armenian people and the Armenian American community in honoring the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide,” Biden stated, as reported by Armenpress.

He expressed pride that during his years in the Senate, he led efforts for genocide recognition and supports resolutions in the House of Representatives and the Senate that should be adopted as a basis for the U.S. acknowledgment.

According to some polls, Biden is the leading Democratic candidate for the 2020 U.S. presidential election.