Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

GREEK AMERICANS CALL FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE REPARATIONS

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
has expressed the appreciation of the Armenian American community
to the American Hellenic Institute and the leading Greek American
membership organizations for their principled stand in favor of
Turkish compensation for the Armenian Genocide.

American Hellenic Institute president Gene Rossides, in a public
statement issued today, called for Armenian Genocide reparations as
part of a policy statement on “Compensation to Turkey’s Victims,”
prepared by the American Hellenic Institute. The policy statement
has been endorsed by the major Greek American membership groups:
the Order of AHEPA, Hellenic American National Council, Cyprus
Federation of America, Panepirotic Federation of America, Pan-
Macedonian Association of America, Evrytanian Association of America
and American Hellenic Institute.

“We want to extend our appreciation to Eugene Rossides, the American
Hellenic Institute, and all the leading Greek American groups for
their clearly articulated and principled demand that Turkey compensate
the Armenian nation for the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive
Director Aram Hamparian. “We join with our Greek American friends in
calling on our government to press Turkey to ensure a just resolution
of this crime and an equitable settlement of all of Turkey’s offenses
against Greeks and Armenians.”

In addition to seeking Turkish government compensation for the
Armenian Genocide, the Greek American leadership calls for Turkish
compensation to the 1) the victims of Turkey’s illegal invasion of
Cyprus of 1974; 2) the owners of property in Cyprus illegally taken,
occupied and used by the Turkish authorities and individuals since
1974; 3) the victims of the September 1955 Turkish pogrom against its
Greek citizens in Istanbul; 4) the victims of the Turkish genocide
against the Pontian Greeks in the 1920’s, and; 5) the victims of
the Turkish massacre of the Greek and Armenian populations of Smyrna
(now Izmir) in 1922 under Kemal Ataturk’s orders.

In calling on “the U.S. government to press Turkey to pay
compensation,” the Greek American leadership cited “the compensation
paid by the government of Germany to Holocaust victims and to the
state of Israel and the government of Japan to the victims of its
actions in Asia before and during World War II.”

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