AMERICAN CORPORATIONS DID NOT SUPPORT ACTION AIMED AGAINST ADOPTION OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 29 2007

The American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT), an Istanbul-based group,
is falsely claiming that its members, including a broad range of major
American corporations, are opposed to the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

March 28 the controversy over these false claims, which erupted during
the annual meeting of the American Turkish Council in Washington, D.C.,
was covered in the issue of Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper.

To note, in a February 15, 2007 press release, the ABFT announced that
it had sent letters urging Members of Congress to oppose H.Res.106,
legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide. The ABFT, which was
founded in 2004, describes itself as an American Chamber of Commerce
in Turkey representing approximately 70 prestigious U.S. firms.

In response to the ABFT’s campaign against the Armenian Genocide
Resolution, the ANCA sent formal letters of inquiry to each of
its member corporations. In these letters, the ANCA asked if the
corporations were involved in the ABFT’s decision to oppose the
Armenian Genocide Resolution and whether they were opposed to the
adoption of the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

In response to these written inquiries, a number of these corporations
indicated they did not support and, in many instances, were not even
aware of the ABFT’s use of their names to oppose U.S. recognition of
the first genocide of the 20th Century.