10.02.2026


On February 10, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, who arrived in Armenia on an official visit, visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial accompanied by his wife, Usha Vance.

The U.S. Vice President was welcomed by Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI), and Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.

Edita Gzoyan accompanied J.D. Vance and his wife to the Armenian Genocide Memorial, presenting the history of its construction.

J.D. Vance laid a wreath at the memorial immortalizing the victims of the Armenian Genocide, after which the guests placed flowers near the eternal flame and observed a minute of silence to honor the memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Edita Gzoyan also spoke about the Memory Wall. In the rear of the wall, special niches contain small urns filled with soil taken from the graves of various foreign public figures, politicians, intellectuals, and missionaries who raised their voices in protest against the massacres and genocide of Armenians perpetrated by the Turkish government in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Speaking about the pro-Armenian activities of Henry Morgenthau and Clara Barton, she emphasized that thanks to their work, American society was well aware of the massacres of Armenians taking place in the Ottoman Empire, and that the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States was also a tribute to their memory.

She also touched upon the three khachkars (cross-stones) placed in the Tsitsernakaberd area in memory of the Armenians who fell victim to the massacres organized by the Azerbaijani government in the cities of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Gandzak), and Baku at the end of the last century, as well as the stories of the five freedom fighters buried in the section opposite the Memory Wall during the years of the Artsakh struggle for survival, highlighting the connection between those events and the Armenian Genocide.

At the conclusion of the visit, the U.S. Vice President left a note in the Honorary Guest Book of the Armenian Genocide Museum, writing: “With a memory of deep respect for the lives lost, we honor the resilience and unwavering spirit of the Armenian people. May America and Armenia strive together for a future of peace and mutual understanding.”

Expressing gratitude for the visit, AGMI Director Edita Gzoyan presented J.D. Vance with books regarding the Armenian Genocide and the Artsakh issue.