Armenian National Committee of Illinois
1701 North Greenwood
Glenview, IL 60025
ancillinois@yahoo.com

PRESS RELEASE
June 7, 2004
For Immediate Release

Contact: Nishan Mekhdjian
ancillinois@yahoo.com

ANC OF ILLINOIS MEETS WITH MELISSA BEAN

— Eighth District Democratic Congressional Candidate Reiterates Support of
Armenian American Issues

GLENVIEW, IL–On May 17, representatives of the Armenian National Committee
(ANC) of Illinois met with Melissa Bean. The meeting, held at the Armenian
Community Center in Glenview, gave the ANC activists an opportunity to
discuss concerns of the Armenian American community with the Eighth District
Democratic Congressional Candidate.

“From our discussion with Melissa Bean–and her response to the ANCA
Congressional Candidate Questionnaire–it is obvious that she is well aware
of the issues that confront Armenian Americans,” stated ANC of Illinois
Chairman Nishan Mekhdjian. “Her support of our community’s concerns is to
be commended.”

“As the November election approaches, we will make sure that Armenian
American constituents in Illinois clearly understand the views of candidates
vying for office. The ANC will also continue to work with candidates
running for local, state, federal offices in an effort to help clarify their
views on Armenian American issues,” concluded Mekhdjian.

During the meeting with Bean, ANC representatives Karine Birazian, Nishan
Mekhdjian, Noubar Sarkissian, and Sevon Torosian provided a brief background
of the Illinois Armenian American community. They further discussed
numerous current issues confronting Armenian Americans, including US
reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide–specifically the Congressional
Genocide Resolutions–US aid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, and US-Armenia
economic relations, such as extending permanent normal trade relations for
Armenia and negotiating a Social Security Agreement and Tax Treaty.

In April, responding to the ANCA Congressional Candidate Questionnaire, Bean
expressed support for a number of key Armenian American concerns.

The Congressional Questionnaire calls upon candidates to answer nine
questions concerning their views on the Armenian Genocide,
self-determination for Nagorno Karabagh, US aid to Armenia and Nagorno
Karabagh, US-Armenian economic relations, conditions on US aid to
Azerbaijan, the Turkish blockade of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, and the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

Bean, currently the president of a consulting firm serving high-tech Fortune
1000 clients internationally, who also ran for Congress in Illinois’ Eighth
District in 2002, answered all nine questions favorably.

Republican Congressman Philip Crane, the incumbent candidate, is running for
his 19th term in office. Illinois’ Eighth Congressional District includes
parts of Lake, Cook, and McHenry counties.

The Armenian National Committee is the largest Armenian American grassroots
political organization in Illinois and nationwide. The ANC actively advances
a broad range of issues of concern to the Armenian American community.

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