Congressional Record: September 21, 2006 (House)
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MARKING 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF REESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE OF ARMENIA

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of
order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman
from California is recognized for 5 minutes.

There was no objection.

Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 15th anniversary of the
reestablishment of the independence of the Republic of Armenia. On
behalf of the tens of thousands of Armenia Americans in my district,
the largest Armenia community outside of Armenia, “Oorakh Angakhootyan
Or,” congratulations to the people of Armenia on a decade and a half
of freedom.

Building upon the foundations of the first Armenian Republic of 1918,
today’s Armenia has, in the years since it declared its independence
from the disintegrating Soviet Union in 1991, strengthened democracy
and the rule of law, promoted free-market reforms, and sought a just
and lasting peace in a troubled region.

With America’s help, Armenia is overcoming the brutal legacy of
Ottoman persecution, Soviet oppression, Azerbaijani aggression against
Karabagh, and the ongoing dual blockades by Turkey and its allies
in Baku.

Recognizing this progress, John Evans, the former U.S. Ambassador, said
in 2004, that “Armenia now has well-founded hopes for a prosperous and
democratic future.” I am proud of the role that the United States
Congress has played in strengthening the enduring bond between the
American and Armenian peoples.

This special relationship is rooted in our shared values and
experiences over the course of more than a century. Among these shared
values are a commitment to democracy, tolerance, religious freedom,
human rights and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.

In the 1890s, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross,
traveled to Armenia to help the Armenian victims of massacres being
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish Government.

In 1915, as the Ottoman Empire began its campaign of genocide against
the Armenian people, the U.S. Ambassador to Constantinople, Henry
Morgenthau, documented and, at the risk of his own career, protested
the ongoing massacres, death marches and other barbarities.

Later, President Woodrow Wilson led the formation of the Near East
Relief Foundation to help the survivors of the Armenian genocide,
and spearheaded the international efforts to secure justice for the
Armenian people and to support the first Republic of Armenia.

Later, after the short-lived Republic of Armenia was annexed by the
Soviet Union, Armenians here in America and around the world were
key allies in our decades-long struggle against the Soviet threat
to freedom. This cooperation contributed to bringing an end to the
Soviet Union, to the rebirth of an independent Armenia, and to the
democracy movement and self-determination of Karabagh.

Armenia has made tremendous progress in building up a free-market-
oriented economy over the past decade and a half. According to the
Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom,
Armenia is consistently ranked as a free economy, and is currently
the 27th freest in the index’s 2006 rankings.

Recognizing this, the United States has named Armenia as one of only
a handful of countries to have qualified for assistance through the
Millennium Challenge Account, a program which targets development
assistance to countries that rule justly, invest in their people and
encourage economic freedom.

Armenia has also sought to integrate itself in the world economy as
a member of the World Trade Organization, and I was pleased to join
many of my colleagues in working to extend the Permanent Normal Trade
Relations status to Armenia.

Armenia’s economic accomplishments are more extraordinary when you
factor in the crippling and illegal economic blockades imposed by
Turkey and Azerbaijan. The blockades cost Armenia an estimated $720
million a year and have forced more than 800,000 Armenians, close to
a quarter of Armenia’s population, to leave their homeland over the
past decade.

The biggest challenge Armenia faces is the hostility of its neighbors.

While the primary threat from Turkey is economic and diplomatic,
Azerbaijan has been far more bellicose. Both Armenia and Nagorno
Karabagh have demonstrated their commitment to a peaceful resolution
of the Karabagh conflict through the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe. In contrast, Azerbaijan has taken reckless
steps that have contributed to instability in a region of strategic
and economic importance.

Armenia’s Soviet past and the economic and security challenges it
faces have impeded the country’s progress towards full democracy
and the rule of law. Those of us who care deeply about Armenia and
the Armenian people must continue to help Armenia to perfect its
institutions and expand the rule of law.

Mr. Speaker, nobody knows the need for broad engagement with Armenia
more than the Armenian-American community, which has strong ties to its
ancestral homeland. Armenian Americans have made contributions to every
aspect of American life. From investor Kirk Kerkorian to Ray Damadian,
inventor of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, to the multiplatinum rock band
System of a Down, Armenian-Americans have enriched our Nation. They
are also committed to contributing to an ever brighter future for
Armenia. I have been privileged to work with many of the community
on ending this government’s tragic failure to recognize the Armenian
genocide, on ending the Turkish and Azerbaijani economic blockade,
on securing aid to Armenia, and securing permanent normal trade
relations with Armenia.

Armenia has come a long way in 15 short years, and I look forward to
much more progress in the years ahead.