Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: anca@anca.org
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA CALLS ON STATE DEPARTMENT TO END INACTION
ON TURKISH AND AZERBAIJANI BLOCKADES

— Urges Congress to Increase Pressure on the Administration

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
this week called on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to condemn
Turkey and Azerbaijan’s illegal blockades, and urged Members of
Congress to escalate their pressure on the Administration to oppose
these blockades and other attempts by Ankara and Baku to
economically isolate Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

In an August 16th letter to Secretary Rice, ANCA Chairman Ken
Hachikian expressed the Armenian American community’s “profound
disappointment regarding the continued lack of meaningful diplomacy
on the part of our government to pressure Turkey and Azerbaijan to
lift their longstanding and illegal blockades of Armenia and
Nagorno Karabagh.” Hachikian recalled the Secretary’s recent
comments sharply criticizing Syria’s border closure with Lebanon
and her statement that “good neighbors don’t close their borders to
their neighbors.” Hachikian closed the letter by asking the
Secretary to ensure that “our government’s policy of opposition to
blockades and support for open borders is applied universally and
without double standards.”

In an August 18th memo to Congressional offices, the ANCA urged
Senators and Representatives to increase their pressure on the
Administration to oppose growing Turkish and Azerbaijani efforts to
isolate, circumvent, and harm Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. The
ANCA specifically called on legislators to press the Administration
to not provide any U.S. assistance to railroads traversing the
Caucasus that circumvent Armenia. The letter voiced support for
H.R.3361, the “South Caucasus Integration and Open Railroads Act of
2005,” which was introduced on July 21st by Armenian Caucus Co-
Chairmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Rep.
George Radanovich (R-CA).

Commenting on the day of the resolution’s introduction, ANCA
Executive Director Aram Hamparian, welcomed the “effort to protect
U.S. taxpayers from subsidizing an ill-advised and over-priced
railroad project that – at the insistence of Turkey and Azerbaijan
– has been designed to exclude Armenia. Constructing this railroad
around Armenia runs directly counter to U.S. foreign policy and –
as if that wasn’t bad enough – makes absolutely no financial sense
– which is precisely why its sponsors will surely turn to the
American taxpayer to foot the bill.”

The ANCA Congressional memo also called for increased support for
H.R.3103, known as the “End the Turkish Blockade of Armenia Act.”
This measure, which was introduced by Representative Adam Schiff
(D-CA) and Frank Pallone, calls upon Turkey to end its blockade of
Armenia and requires the U.S. Department of State to report on its
efforts to reverse this violation of international law.

Activists continue to send ANCA WebFaxes to their Members of
Congress in support of these two pieces of legislation using the
ANCA’s website –

#####

Text of ANCA letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

August 16, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

I am writing, on behalf of the Armenian American community, to
express our profound disappointment regarding the continued lack of
meaningful diplomacy on the part of our government to pressure
Turkey and Azerbaijan to lift their longstanding and illegal
blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.

Our community was once again reminded about the absence of any
serious U.S. effort to end these violations of international law by
your comments on another matter involving the closing of borders.
Speaking in Beirut at a July 22nd news conference with the Lebanese
Prime Minister, you demanded that Syria fully open its border with
Lebanon, appropriately noting that, “good neighbors don’t close
their borders to their neighbors.” In your strongly worded
remarks, you drew international attention to the “very serious
situation on the Lebanon border where Lebanese trade is being
strangled.”

As you know, according to the World Bank’s estimates, the Armenian
economy has suffered billions of dollars in losses due to the
Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. Successive Administrations and
the Congress are on record condemning Turkey and Azerbaijan’s
conduct as hindering our country’s interests, undermining American
values, and preventing progress in this strategically important
region. Yet, these blockades have remained in place for more than
a decade, with little more than pro forma protests and ineffective
gestures on the part of our government.

We would respectfully ask that our government’s policy of
opposition to blockades and support for open borders be applied
universally and without double standards. In this spirit, we call
on you to forcefully and publicly condemn the Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh and to use
the full leverage of our government to immediately end these
violations of international law.

Thank you for your consideration of our concerns. We look forward
to your response.

Sincerely yours,

Kenneth V. Hachikian
Chairman