Αssociated Press reports from Los Angeles that Armenian Americans celebrated the news Saturday that President Joe Biden formally declared the systematic killing and deportation of hundreds of thousands of their ancestors by Ottoman Empire forces in the early 1900s to be “genocide,” saying the recognition was long overdue.
His action came following decades of activism, most of which was centered in California, home of the largest Armenian community in the nation.
“He’s the first American president to have the guts to talk about it. I never understood why the U.S. waited this long when they knew the truth about what happened. It’s amazing and I’m very happy he did what he did,” noted Varoujan Kioudjian, 74.
He was among hundreds of people who streamed to a hilltop monument in Montebello, nearly 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles, to mark Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.
Dressed in black for the solemn ceremony, they laid flowers around a tomb and said prayers for the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were killed in the events beginning in 1915 known as Metz Yeghern.
Read more at thenationalherald.com
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Սէրուժ
