Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: info@aaainc.org
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2006
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: ckojoian@aaainc.org
ASSEMBLY WELCOMES SENATE LEGISLATION OPPOSING RAILROAD THAT
BYPASSES ARMENIA
Measure Introduced During Assembly’s Pan-Armenian National Conference
Washington, DC – As Armenian Assembly activists stormed Capitol Hill
to promote community concerns to over 80 congressional offices today,
Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced
a major bill (S. 2461) in the U.S. Senate that would bar assistance
for a proposed $800 million railway that would connect Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Turkey while bypassing Armenia.
The legislation, known as the South Caucasus Integration and Open
Railroads Act, was introduced shortly after participants of the
Assembly’s National Conference met with senior staff representing
Senators Santorum and Menendez – both longtime supporters of Armenian
issues. The three-day National Conference was co-hosted by the AGBU
and Eastern and Western Dioceses of the Armenian Church.
“United States policy in the South Caucasus seeks to foster regional
stability and enhanced cooperation, and includes open borders and
transport corridors,” Santorum told the Assembly. “The proposed rail
link would not only undermine U.S. long-term goals for the region,
but serves to isolate Armenia. Efforts to foster economic integration
and reduce the risk of further tensions are in the best interests of
the United States and the South Caucasus.”
Menendez, echoing Santorum, added that “the sole aim of this costly
project is to further isolate Armenia by enhancing the ongoing Turkish
and Azerbaijani blockades. I look forward to working with my colleagues
in the Senate and members of the Armenian-American community to block
U.S. financial support of this rail project.”
“We commend the leadership of Senators Santorum and Menendez for this
Senate initiative to prohibit funding for this ill-conceived route,
which not only thwarts U.S. policy goals, but is also a continuation
of Azerbaijan’s blockade plus strategy to marginalize Armenia, which
we cannot allow,” said Assembly Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair
Hovnanian. “The realization of this legislation is a testament to the
grassroots activism exemplified throughout this National Conference.”
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told an Azeri news agency last
summer that, “We are currently working on a new project – a new rail
road Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku..If we succeed with this project,
the Armenians will end in complete isolation, which would create an
additional problem for their future, their already bleak future…”
Armenian government officials have repeatedly said that a new costly
railway is unnecessary given that a railroad linking Armenia, Georgia
and Turkey already exists. The existing Kars-Gyumri route is in
working condition and could be operational within weeks.
Senator Santorum has consistently supported Armenian issues. He is a
strong proponent of U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide and a
cosponsor of S. Res. 320, the Armenian Genocide resolution. In 2000, he
also urged the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations
to direct economic aid to Armenia, to provide the timely delivery of
humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabakh and maintain Section 907
of the Freedom Support Act. Santorum currently serves on the powerful
Senate Finance Committee and is Chairman of the Senate Republican
Conference where he directs the communications operations of the
Senate Republicans and is the third-ranking member of the leadership.
His colleague, Senator Menendez, is a longstanding advocate of the
Armenian-American community and a widely respected voice on foreign
policy. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Menendez
helped secure robust U.S. humanitarian, technical and developmental
assistance for Armenia, while continuing to push for sustained
humanitarian aid to Nagorno Karabakh. Menendez has also repeatedly
fought for U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide, by publicly
commemorating this crime against humanity, co-sponsoring legislation
that would properly recognize the events and urging President Bush,
as well as his predecessors, to accurately characterize the crimes
as genocide.
The Senate bill is modeled after House Resolution 3361, which was
introduced by Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Co-Chair
Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), along with Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone,
Jr. (D-NJ) and Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), last year. The resolution
currently has 77 cosponsors to date, and is expected to garner
additional supporters following the Assembly’s advocacy push today.
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#2006-024a
Photographs available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following
links:
ss/2006-024a/2006-024a-1.jpg
Caption: Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA)
4a/2006-024a-2.jpg
Caption: Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)