Armenian National Committee of America
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PRESS RELEASE
May 11, 2006
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ARMENIAN AND HELLENIC CAUCUS LEADERS JOIN
TOGETHER IN OPPOSING MISSILE SALE TO TURKEY
— Reps. Bilirakis, Pallone, Radanovich, and Maloney
Warn that SLAM-ER Missile Transfer Will Undermine
Cyprus Peace Process and Threaten Armenia
WASHINGTON, DC – The Co-Chairpersons of the Hellenic Caucus, Reps.
Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), were joined
today by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and
Armenian Genocide Resolution lead sponsor George Radanovich (R-CA)
in calling on Congressional leaders to reexamine a controversial
$162 million U.S. missile sale to Turkey.
In letters addressed to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the
House Armed Services and International Relations Committees, the
four legislators voiced their “deep concern and opposition to the
application currently before your Committee for the foreign
military sale to Turkey of 50 AGM 84K Joint Standoff Land Attack
Missiles – Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) and associated equipment and
services.”
Noting that Turkey has enforced an illegal blockade against Armenia
for the last twelve years, provides support to Azerbaijan against
Nagorno Karabagh, and refuses to normalize relations with Armenia,
they stressed that, “there are no safeguards in place to ensure
that the transfer of these advanced new weapons to Turkey will not
be used to threaten Armenia.” Commenting on the presence of more
than 40,000 Turkish military troops in the Turkish-occupied area of
Cyprus, the legislators argued that the sale would “exacerbate the
already existing military imbalance over Cyprus,” and “worsen the
uneasy, insecure and disadvantaged position of the Republic of
Cyprus in terms of its defense and weapons proliferation.” They
closed the letter by requesting a “thorough reexamination of all
factors pertaining to the sale” of the missiles to Turkey.
“We join with our friends at the American Hellenic Institute in
thanking Representatives Bilirakis, Pallone, Maloney, and
Radanovich in calling for a careful review of this ill-advised and
destabilizing arms sale to an already over-armed Turkish military,”
said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “Neither U.S.
interests nor American values are served by providing advanced
offensive weapons to a government that used U.S. arms to invade
Cyprus in 1974, transferred weapons to Azerbaijan during the
Nagorno Karabagh conflict, regularly invades Greek airspace over
the Aegean Sea, and has used American military equipment in
committing human rights abuses against its own citizens.”
The full text of the Congressional letter is provided below.
#####
Dear Mr. Chairman:
We are writing to express our deep concern and opposition to the
application currently before your Committee for the foreign
military sale to Turkey of 50 AGM 84K Joint Standoff Land Attack
Missiles – Expanded Response (SLAM-ER) and associated equipment and
services.
Considering the presence of more than 40,000 Turkish military
troops in the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus, this particular sale
– if materialized – will exacerbate the already existing military
imbalance over Cyprus. It will worsen the uneasy, insecure and
disadvantaged position of the Republic of Cyprus in terms of its
defense and weapons proliferation.
We also believe that U.S. approval of this sale will negatively
influence the ongoing efforts of the Administration to encourage a
negotiated settlement of the Cyprus question. Support for the sale
could be perceived as adversely affecting our third-party role in
helping to bring the interested parties together.
Turkey has also has enforced an illegal blockade against Armenia
for the last twelve years, continues to provide support to
Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabagh, and refuses to normalize
relations with Armenia. There are no safeguards in place to ensure
that the transfer of these advanced new weapons to Turkey will not
be used to threaten Armenia.
This potential sale sends the wrong political message at the wrong
time to Turkey and the neighboring countries. In a time of
delicate diplomatic balance by the United States in that region of
the world, the sale of this particular weapon to Turkey runs the
real danger of being seen by the other countries of concern as a
politically insensitive move.
We therefore request a thorough reexamination of all factors
pertaining to the sale of the cruise missiles to Turkey.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
[signed]
Michael Bilirakis
Co-Chair, Hellenic Caucus
[signed]
Frank Pallone
Co-Chair, Armenian Caucus
[signed]
Carolyn Maloney
Co-Chair, Hellenic Caucus
[signed]
George Radanovich
Member, Armenian Caucus