VP Travel Pool #1 visit to memorial

Good morning from rainy Yerevan.

The press pool left the RON to pre-stage ahead of the VP’s visit to the memorial to the estimated 1.5 million Armenians killed by Ottoman Turks over a century ago. The site, called Tsitsernakaberd, overlooks Yerevan.

The VP’s motorcade arrived at 9:58 a.m. The VP and second lady walked a long walk up to the memorial accompanied by Edita Gzoyan, director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute (AGMI) in Yerevan. The VP and SLOTUS held black umbrellas.

An Armenia honor guard and band were staged in place on the side of the walking path.

The Vances walked slowly as they followed two guard members carrying a large wreath with 95 carnations, 35 chrysanthemums, 30 red roses and 28 white roses. The wreath, sitting on an easel, was then placed in front of the memorial.

The Vances faced the wreath as the band played “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Pool was then moved to the other side of the memorial.

Thee Vances went to look at the memorial’s internal flame. They handed off their umbrellas and each carried a bouquet of red roses into the memorial. They paused to look at the flame and placed the roses at its edge.

Gzoyan laid white roses by the side of the flame and then spoke quietly to the Vances as they looked at the flame. It appeared she was explaining something but pool could not hear. They left the flame at 10:16 a.m. and returned the way they came.

Pool was kept at the memorial. The Vances signed a guest book before they departed, per the VP’s office. Vance wrote “Memory eternal,”above his signature, according to a picture taken by pool photographer Kevin Lamarque of Reuters.

The motorcade departed at 10:26 a.m. Pool is returning to RON for a few hours. The Vances are headed to private events.

There are no more open press events scheduled for our time in Armenia today. I will send an updated note when we are wheels up for Azerbaijan this afternoon.

Michelle L. Price

White House Reporter

The Associated Press

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