On the morning of Tuesday, November 26, the Armenian National Committee Western Region held a press conference at the Glendale Youth Center to coincide with President Barack Obama’s visit to the Glendale area. The press conference was called to address the refusal of the White House to display the Armenian Orphan Rug.
The Prelate was invited by the ANC-WR to deliver his statement, which read:
“In 1925 orphans of the Armenian Genocide presented President Calvin Coolidge with an ornate hand-woven rug as a token of appreciation and gratitude for the humanitarian aid provided by the American government to Armenian refugees. Sadly, this historic rug now lies in storage at our White House, a victim of American surrender to foreign political pressure.
The rug was a gracious gesture symbolizing the friendship between the American and Armenian peoples. It is part of American history. Keeping it locked away in storage is not only insulting to the orphaned girls who painstakingly crafted this beautiful work of art, it also represents a shameful effort to cover up, at the urging of genocide-deniers in Ankara, a truly proud chapter of American history.
We hereby call on President Obama and the White House to do the honorable thing and release the Armenian orphan rug for permanent and prominent public display. The American people have a right to know their history and to see the rug that President Coolidge eloquently described as “a daily symbol of goodwill on earth.”
The Prelate was accompanied by Archpriest Fr. Nareg Pehlivanian, Rev. Fr. Vazken Atmajian, Rev. Fr. Ashod Kambourian, and Rev. Fr. Ghevont Kirazian.
