Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
Friday, March 24, 2006
Contact: Armen Carapetian
Tel: (818) 500-1918
THOUSANDS PROTEST AGAINST TURKEY’S DEFENSE MINISTER VECDI GÖNÜL
— Armenian Youth Federation Rallies Community Against Genocide Denial
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) led a
demonstration of over 2,000 Armenian Americans today outside the
Beverly Hills Hotel during a speech given by Turkish Defense Minister
Vecdi Gönül, a key figure in the Turkish state’s campaign to
deny the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee
of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR).
The crowd of protesters marched peacefully and chanted in front of the
Beverly Hills Hotel, where the Defense Minister spoke at a luncheon
hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council about `The Evolving
Security Environment and Turkey’s Strategic Role in Eurasia.’ Among
the thousands of participants in today’s protest were Congressman Brad
Sherman (CA-27) and Burbank Board of Education President Paul
Krekorian.
Before inviting Congressman Sherman to speak, ANCA-WR Board of
Directors member Raffi Hamparian underscored the failure of the US
State Department to live up to American values. `At the same time that
the US government is condemning Belarus for suppressing freedom of
expression, the US State Department is preparing to fire our
Ambassador to Armenia for simply telling the truth about the Armenian
Genocide,’ said Hamparian. `Congressman Brad Sherman is not only a
friend of the Armenian American community, he is an ally and a
champion of justice and human rights,’ said Hamparian in welcoming
Congressman Sherman.
`It is not only those with Armenian heritage who demand that the truth
be recognized. Friends of Turkey should demonstrate that Turkey accept
the Armenian Genocide,’ said Congressman Sherman in his remarks to the
crowd. `Where will Turkey be among the family of nations if it does
not recognize the truth? I will work in Congress every day until the
historical truth of the Armenian Genocide is recognized,’ he
concluded.
Congressman Sherman also commented on Turkey’s failure to provide
access to US military bases in Turkey and necessary passage over its
land and air space during the invasion of Iraq three years ago. `The
casualties stemming from today’s conflict in Iraq are, to some extent,
a direct result of Turkey’s refusal to allow the US-led coalition to
open a northern front,’ said Congressman Sherman.
In his remarks at the luncheon, the Defense Minister addressed the
issue of Turkey’s actions during the run-up to the Iraq War. He
directly contradicted the position of his American counterpart,
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who has repeatedly said on
national television that Turkey’s refusal to allow US-led coalition
forces to open a northern front has significantly contributed to the
strength of the Iraqi insurgency. `Turkey has supported the US led war
on Iraq from the beginning,’ said the Defense Minister. He added that
`Turkey promotes good neighborly relations.’ This assertion also
stands in sharp contrast to the actions of the Turkish government,
which, on one hand, blockades and seeks to isolate Armenia, and on the
other, denies the Armenian Genocide and continues to harvest the
economic, demographic, and geopolitical fruits of the genocidal crime
it committed against the Armenian nation nine decades ago.
`Defense Minister Gönül’s remarks are consistent with his
government’s campaign to portray a rosy image of itself – despite the
facts on the ground. Increasingly, however, the American public is
seeing through these transparent efforts, and looking instead to
Turkey’s actual conduct – such as its blockade of Armenia, abysmal
human rights record, attempts to revise history, and, more broadly,
its increasingly antagonistic relationship with the United States,’
said Hamparian after listening to the Defense Minister’s speech.
Defense Minister Vecdi Gönül’s visit to Southern California,
home to the largest Armenian population in the US, came exactly one
month prior to the 91st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April
24th. California, which is one of 38 states to have recognized the
Armenian Genocide, last year adopted legislation permanently
designating the week of April 24 as California’s week of remembrance
of the Armenian Genocide. The effort to enact legislation on the
Armenian Genocide was led by state legislators such as Senators Chuck
Poochigian (R-Fresno) and Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco), and signed
into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2005. California has also
adopted an education curriculum that includes teaching of the history
of the Armenian Genocide, and the Los Angeles Unified School District
is among many public school systems in the state that continue to
train its teachers on implementing a curriculum that teaches about
this crime against humanity.
The Defense Minister’s visit also came at an especially sensitive time
in US-Turkey relations. In recent weeks, `Valley of the Wolves,’ the
most expensive film ever made in Turkey, prompted the US military to
issue warnings to our troops stationed in Turkey due to the film’s
severely anti-American and anti-Semitic nature. The film continues to
remain a box office hit in theatres across Turkey and has been
publicly praised by many Turkish leaders, including Prime Minster
Erdogan. The popularity of `Valley of the Wolves’ is not the only
recent demonstration of anti-Semitic and anti-American sentiment in
Turkey. Last year, Adolf Hilter’s `Mein Kampf’ was a best-seller in
the country.
The Defense Minister’s speech was repeatedly interrupted by chants
coming from protesters demonstrating along Sunset Boulevard. Armenian
Americans attending the luncheon, including Glendale Unified School
District Board Member Greg Krikorian, called on the Defense Minister
to acknowledge Turkey’s past.
However, Defense Minister Gönül said that `these are Armenian
claims, and there is nothing to acknowledge.’ AYF Chairman Tro
Tchekidjian stated at the conclusion of the protest that `We will
never forget what happened in 1915, and we will persist in calling for
recognition of the Armenian Genocide until Turkey comes to terms with
its past.’
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.