Paul Vartan Sookiasian
On his second and final day on his historic visit to Yerevan, US Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha visited the Armenian Genocide Museum. The visit on Tuesday was followed up with a post on the Vice President’s X account @VP stating that he and the Second Lady “attended a wreath laying ceremony at the Armenian Genocide memorial to honor the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide.”
Observers were initially surprised at the remark, as the Trump administration has strictly avoided using the term genocide, despite the United States’ official recognition of the mass killings as such in recent years, both by the U.S. Congress and President Joseph Biden. However, about an hour later, Vance’s post was deleted. A video posted by his Press Secretary, Taylor Van Kirk with the caption “@VP and @SLOTUS arrive at the Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan” remained retweeted on Vance’s page, but the video was also deleted within the next hour.
Sometime later, Van Kirk reposted videos and photos from the memorial, with the much less specific text: “@VP and @SLOTUS lay flowers at the eternal flame and sign the guest book on the final day of their visit to Armenia.” Vance’s account retweeted this new post from his press secretary, but as of press time had not issued his own new post about the visit.
Per a photo shared Van Kirk’s tweet, Vance wrote in the Genocide Museum’s guestbook: “In solemn remembrance of the lives lost, we honor the resilience and enduring spirit of the Armenian people. May America and Armenia strive for a future of peace and understanding together.”
Later at the airport, Vance was asked by a reporter about why he felt it was important to visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial. He replied that he will similarly be visiting “some important sites to Azerbaijan tomorrow,” and that the Armenian side requested he visit the memorial due to its importance to them.
“Its a very terrible thing that happened a little over a hundred years ago,” Vance continued, “and something that is just very important to them culturally. So I thought out of a sign of respect both for the victims but also for the Armenian government that's been a very important partner for us in the region, I wanted to go and pay my respects.”
It is standard diplomatic protocol for official state visitors, foreign delegations, and high-ranking officials in Armenia to pay their respects at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex, Tsitsernakaberd. The U.S. Ambassador to Armenia has also traditionally laid a wreath on the April 24 anniversary, even during periods when the U.S. administration did not officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.
In cases of non-recognition, official statements have avoided the word “genocide,” instead using euphemisms or non-specific language about what and where the wreath-laying took place. This practice is also utilized by other countries that have not formally recognized the genocide such as the United Kingdom.
During Vance’s visit, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute’s Director Edita Gzoyan presented Vance with books about the Armenian Genocide and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
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