03.07.2024


Accompanying Senator Wicker were Sargis Khandanyan, Chair of the Armenian NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, Lilit Makunts, Ambassador of Armenia to the United States, and Kristina Kvien, US Ambassador to Armenia. Also part of the delegation were Republican Joe Wilson, Chairman of the Helsinki Commission, Democrat Ben Cardin, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and others.

The guests were welcomed by Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, who provided an overview of the Memorial Complex's history. Senator Roger Wicker laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Victims of the Armenian Genocide, followed by the delegation members laying flowers at the Eternal Fire and observing a minute’s silence in remembrance of the genocide victims.

Mrs. Gzoyan guided the delegation to the Memory Wall, which features soil from the graves of various foreign figures who protested against the Armenian massacres. She highlighted the efforts of Henry Morgenthau and Clara Barton, noting their significant role in raising awareness in the United States about the Armenian Genocide. Mrs. Gzoyan also spoke about the Memory Alley, mentioning its inception in 1997 with a tree planting by US Senator Robert Dole in memory of Hambar Kelekyan, an Armenian-American genocide survivor.

Additionally, Mrs. Gzoyan underscored the relevance of the memorial in contemporary contexts, drawing parallels between past atrocities against Armenians and recent events in Artsakh.