Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: info@aaainc.org
Web:
 
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 21, 2005
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
Email: ckojoian@aaainc.org

REP. KENNEDY CALLS ON ADMINISTRATION TO CONFRONT TURKEY’S DENIAL OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly today praised Rep. Patrick
Kennedy (D-RI), a member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues, for calling on the Bush Administration to openly deal with
Turkey’s continued policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide and to
support a congressional resolution reaffirming this crime against
humanity.

Kennedy, in a statement issued last week before Congress, said the
Administration’s reluctance to address the issue stems from its
refusal to alienate Turkey at a time when Washington is seeking to
repair relations with Ankara.

“This approach sends absolutely the wrong signal to Turkey and to
the rest of the world,” Kennedy stated. “As we promote relations
based upon shared values, the United States must never forget the
essential value of facing history directly.”

Kennedy also added that the present day Turkish government must stop
its shameful policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide.

“The Turkish government spends millions of dollars annually to lobby
other governments to advance its revisionist cause, claiming that
the subject is sensitive and that acknowledgement would undermine
relations with Turkey,” Kennedy said.

Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed calls
for further study of the Armenian Genocide, telling Reuters “If there
is a need for a political settling of accounts with history after
such a study, we, the government and the opposition, are ready to do
just that.”

Assembly leaders, for their part, joined Armenia’s Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian in calling the study pointless given the scholarly
community’s publicly stated conclusions confirming the events as
Genocide.

“Periodic calls by various Turkish administrations for historical
debate simply delay the process of reconciling the truth,” Oskanian
recently said in a speech before the U.N. Commission on Human Rights.
“The facts are clear. The historical record is clear. We know well
what happened to our forebears.”

The Assembly in recent weeks has pointed to such public affirmations,
as well as those of leading U.S. public officials such as Ambassador
to Armenia John Evans, as part of its campaign to urge President Bush
to recognize the Armenian Genocide in his statement of remembrance
next month.

For information on joining the Assembly campaign to reaffirm the
U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide, log on to the Assembly Web site
at or send an email to the Assembly’s grassroots branch
ARAMAC at aramac@aaainc.org.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

### NR#2005-029

Editor’s Note: Attached is the full text of Congressman Kennedy’s
statement for the record as submitted to the House of Representatives.

SPEECH OF
HON. PATRICK J. KENNEDY
OF RHODE ISLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MARCH 17, 2005

Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the
continued reluctance by the Bush Administration to openly deal with
the government of Turkey’s continued policy of denial of the Armenian
Genocide. In the words of scholars and writers, genocide denial is the
last stage of genocide, what Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel has called a
“double killing.” The perpetrators first plan and commit the crime,
then refuse to acknowledge responsibility. Finally, their political
successors deny this crime against humanity. The present-day Turkish
government must stop this shameful policy of denial.

The award-winning writer and Harvard Professor Samantha Power in
her recent book on genocide recounted how the United States and the
world’s other powers have too often been bystanders to Genocide,
most recently in Rwanda and as you hear these words, once again in
Sudan. Power argued that “The Armenian Genocide of 1915 set the stage
for a gruesome 20th century.” The international community’s failure
to properly condemn the attempted annihilation of the Armenians
led Hitler to famously declare “Who, after all, speaks today of the
annihilation of the Armenians?”

The Turkish government spends millions of dollars annually to lobby
other governments to advance its revisionist cause, claiming that
the subject is “sensitive” and that acknowledgment would undermine
relations with Turkey. To compound this assault on the truth, Turkish
leaders and media accuse U.S. and Israel of genocide, respectively
in Iraq and Palestine. These policies are abhorrent and must be
confronted.

Mr. Speaker, while President Bush has issued annual statements on
April 24, the day of remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, he has
refrained from using the proper word. Moreover, as the leadership of
the House confirmed last year, the Administration remains opposed to
a congressional resolution on the Armenian Genocide due to Turkish
objections. This approach sends absolutely the wrong signal to Turkey
and to the rest of the world. As we promote relations based upon
shared values, the United States must never forget the essential
value of facing history directly.

-30-

–Boundary_(ID_thovdAY6BU4cQNRvH9DERg)–