WASHINGTON, DC - Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director issued the following statement regarding President Obama's April 24th "Armenian Remembrance Day" message, which once against stops short of properly characterizing the crime as 'genocide.'

"Sadly, President Obama chose today not to lead, but rather to follow Ankara's gag-rule on his Administration's condemnation and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. His public retreat, under Turkish pressure, comes despite his own pledges to acknowledge this crime and our government's record, dating back more than half a century, of having recognized the Armenian Genocide as a clear case of genocide."

"Our President's complicity in Turkey's denial of truth and its ongoing obstruction of justice will not derail our progress toward a truthful, fair, and comprehensive international resolution of Turkey's still unpunished crime against the Armenian nation."