Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
January 30, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA ENDORSES OBAMA IN DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully
about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully
to all genocides. I intend to be that President."
— Barack Obama
— Announcement on Republican Candidates Expected Soon
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today endorsed Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate best
positioned to bring fundamental change to how the United States
addresses issues of special concern to Armenian American voters.
"The Armenian National Committee of America is proud today to
endorse Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for President of
the United States," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "Based on
his strong record in office, his bold statements as a candidate,
and our judgment as to the policies he will pursue as President, we
believe that, among a strong field of Democratic candidates,
Senator Obama will best reflect the views and values of Armenian
American voters."
The official announcement came during a press conference held at
the ANCA Western Region headquarters, featuring remarks by Obama
supporters, Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) and L.A. City Council
President Eric Garcetti as well as ANCA National Board Member Raffi
Hamparian and Armenians for Obama Chairwoman Nora Hovsepian.
Barack Obama: The choice for change
In a powerful statement, issued on January 20th, Senator Obama
voiced his strong support for passage of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (H.Res.106 & S.Res.106) currently before Congress, and
pledged that, as President, he will recognize the Armenian
Genocide.
The Presidential hopeful also reaffirmed his support for a strong
"U.S.-Armenian relationship that advances our common security and
strengthens Armenian democracy." Unlike other Democratic
candidates, he also pledged to "promote Armenian security by
seeking an end to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, and by
working for a lasting and durable settlement of the Nagorno
Karabagh conflict that is agreeable to all parties, and based upon
America’s founding commitment to the principles of democracy and
self determination."
The key elements of the Obama record that led to the ANCA
endorsement include the following:
* Public criticism of the Bush Administration for firing
former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans over his
truthful remarks recognizing the Armenian Genocide. He has
publicly asserted that, "An official policy that calls on
diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable
policy."
* Strong support for the passage of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution currently before Congress, in his capacity as
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relions Subcommittee on
European Affairs.
* A written pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide as
President, clearly spelling out his "firmly held conviction
that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal
opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented
fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical
evidence. The facts are undeniable."
* A commitment to ending the cycle of genocide. He has
said, on the record, that, "America deserves a leader who
speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds
forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that
President."
* Letters to President Bush urging him to properly
recognize the Armenian Genocide and a record of defending
that position, when challenged. While visiting Azerbaijan
in August 2005, in response to media inquiries about why he
signed these letters, Senator Obama publicly defended his
decision by stating that the Armenian Genocide was a
historical fact.
* Commitment to promoting Armenia’s security "by seeking
an end to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades."
* Support for "a lasting and durable settlement of the
Nagorno Karabagh conflict that is agreeable to all parties,
and based upon America’s founding commitment to the
principles of democracy and self determination."
The full text of Senator Obama’s statement is provided below:
Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations
JANUARY 19, 2008
I am proud of my strong record on issues of concern to the
one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage in
the United States. I warmly welcome the support of this
vibrant and politically active community as we change how
our government works here at home, and restore American
leadership abroad.
I am a strong supporter of a U.S.-Armenian relationship
that advances our common security and strengthens Armenian
democracy. As President, I will maintain our assistance to
Armenia, which has been a reliable partner in the fight
against terrorism and extremism. I will promote Armenian
security by seeking an end to the Turkish and Azerbaijani
blockades, and by working for a lasting and durable
settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict that is
agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding
commitment to the principles of democracy and self
determination. And my Administration will help foster
Armenia’s growth and development through expanded trade and
targeted aid, and by strengthening the commercial,
political, military, developmental, and cultural
relationships between the U.S. and Armenian governments.
I also share with Armenian Americans – so many of whom are
descended from genocide survivors – a principled commitment
to commemorating and ending genocide. That starts with
acknowledging the tragic instances of genocide in world
history. As a U.S. Senator, I have stood with the Armenian
American community in calling for Turkey’s acknowledgement
of the Armenian Genocide. Two years ago, I criticized the
Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term
"genocide" to describe Turkey’s slaughter of thousands of
Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my
firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an
allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but
rather a widely documented fact supported by an
overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are
undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to
distort the historical facts is an untenable policy. As a
senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as
President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Genocide, sadly, persists to this day, and threatens our
common security and common humanity. Tragically, we are
witnessing in Sudan many of the same brutal tactics –
displacement, starvation, and mass slaughter – that were
used by the Ottoman authorities against defenseless
Armenians back in 1915. I have visited Darfurian refugee
camps, pushed for the deployment of a robust multinational
force for Darfur, and urged divestment from companies doing
business in Sudan. America deserves a leader who speaks
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds
forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that President.
I look forward, as President, to continuing my active
engagement with Armenian American leaders on the full range
of issues of concern to the Armenian American community.
Together, we will build, in new and exciting ways, upon the
enduring ties and shared values that have bound together
the American and Armenian peoples for more than a century.
Sen. Obama’s statement on U.S.-Armenia relations is available on
the official campaign website at:
bama_on_the_importance.php
ANCA Outreach to Candidates:
In recent weeks, the ANCA has invited each of the candidates to
share their views on Armenian Americans issues, and to comment on
both the growing relationship between the U.S. and Armenian
governments and the enduring bonds between the American and
Armenian peoples. Questionnaires sent to the candidates have
invited them to respond to a set of 19 questions, including those
addressing: affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, U.S.-Armenia
economic, political, and military relations, self-determination for
Nagorno Karabagh, the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, and the
genocide in Darfur.
The other two leading Democratic candidates, Senator Hillary
Clinton (D-NY) and former Senator John Edwards (D-NC), are friends
of the Armenian American community, and have each reached out in
substantive ways to Armenian American voters. Either one, if
nominated, would represent candidacies offering a profound
improvement over the policies of the current Administration.
On January 24th, four days after the Obama statement, Senator
Hillary Clinton, who is a cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide
Resolution (S.Res. 106), issued a forceful statement calling for
Congressional passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution and
pledging that, as President, she will recognize the Armenian
Genocide. Her statement, welcomed by the ANCA, stressed that, "Our
common morality and our nation’s credibility as a voice or human
rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian Genocide be
recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of the
United States." As a Senator, Hillary Clinton has, since 2002,
cosponsored successive Armenian Genocide resolutions. She joined
Senate colleagues in cosigning letters to President Bush in 2005
and 2006 urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
In a January 24th letter to the ANCA, John Edwards voiced support
for the passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, within the
context of a diplomatic effort to assure the Turkish government
that the legislation is not aimed at present day Turkey, but rather
the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire. As a Senator, John
Edwards cosponsored successive Armenian Genocide Resolutions
beginning in 2002. He also supported Section 907 restrictions on
U.S. aid to Azerbaijan due to its ongoing blockades of Armenia and
Nagorno Karabagh.
The ANCA has been reaching out to each of the leading Republican
candidates and hopes to issue a statement on the GOP primaries in
the near future.
ANCA Presidential endorsements, in both the primary and general
elections, are offered against the backdrop of several decades of
disappointing experiences, during which Presidents, while running
for office, have affirmed the Armenian Genocide to win hearts and
minds among Armenian American voters, only to retreat from this
recognition once in the White House and aggressively pressure the
U.S. Congress from properly commemorating the very same crime
against humanity they once condemned as candidates.
The Armenian American Vote:
Armenian Americans, in key primary states and throughout the
country, represent a motivated and highly networked constituency of
more than one and a half million citizens. The ANCA mobilizes
Armenian American voters through a network of over 50 chapters and
a diverse array of affiliates, civic advocates, and supporters
nationwide. ANCA mailings reach over a quarter of a million homes,
and, with the addition of internet outreach, updates and action
alerts reach well over 350,000 households. The ANCA website, which
features election coverage from an Armenian American point of view,
attracts over 100,000 unique visits a month. The ANCA also has
broad reach to Armenian American voters via a sophisticated media
operation of newspapers, regional cable shows, satellite TV, blogs,
and internet news sites.
Along with its Presidential endorsements, in both the Primary and
General elections, the ANCA reminded Armenian Americans that their
ability to impact policy-level decision-making depends, first and
foremost, on the continued expansion of advocacy efforts at all
levels of government. The ANCA’s Congressional endorsements, which
will be announced later this year, will represent an important
element of this process by providing Armenian American voters with
the information they need to solidify the strong, bipartisan
support our community enjoys in Congress.
As always, the ANCA welcomes feedback on its service to the
Armenian American community. Please forward your thoughts and
suggestions about the 2008 Presidential election by email to
[email protected].
The need for change: The Bush Administration’s record
The pressing need for fundamental change in how the United States
addresses issues of special concern to Armenian Americans is
highlighted by a review of the current Administration’s record in
twelve key areas:
1) Broken campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide
Almost immediately after taking office, President Bush
abandoned his campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. Rather than honor this promise, the President
has, in his annual April 24th statements, used evasive and
euphemistic terminology to avoid describing Ottoman
Turkey’s systematic and deliberate destruction of the
Armenian people by its proper name – the Armenian Genocide.
Moreover, the Administration has echoed the Turkish
government’s denial by claiming that the Armenian Genocide,
one of the most studied genocides of the 20th century,
"should be a matter of historical inquiry, not
legislation." On October 17, 2007, after the House Foreign
Affairs Committee passed the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
President Bush argued that, "one thing Congress should not
be doing is sorting out the historical record of the
Ottoman Empire," claiming there was "more important work to
do."
2) Opposition to the Congressional Genocide Resolution
The Bush Administration, throughout its tenure, has actively sought
to block the adoption of the Genocide Resolution in both the House
and Senate. As recently as October of last year, the President
spoke to the national media from the White House, on more than one
occasion, against the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and
personally lobbied Members of Congress to prevent the commemoration
of this crime.
3) The Evans firing and the Hoagland nominations
The Bush Administration fired U.S. Ambassador John Evans, a career
Foreign Service officer with 35 years of experience, simply for
speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide. Despite numerous
Congressional inquiries, his Administration continuously attempted
to cover up the true reasons for Evans’ removal and the Turkish
government’s protests over his statements. When the American
Foreign Service Association (AFSA) awarded John Evans the Christian
Herter prize for constructive dissent, Administration officials
forced AFSA to rescind the award just days before Turkish President
Erdogan came to Washington, DC to meet with President Bush.
The President’s nominee to replace Ambassador Evans, Dick Hoagland,
denied the Armenian Genocide in response to Senate inquiries during
his confirmation process. After being blocked by a Senatorial
"hold" placed by Robert Menendez in the 109th Congress, the
President again nominated Ambassador Hoagland, only to have this
nomination blocked once again on the grounds that a diplomat who
denies the Armenian Genocide cannot serve effectively as the U.S.
representative to Armenia.
4) The Waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act
The Bush Administration, in 2001, aggressively pressured Congress
into granting the President the authority to waive Section 907, a
provision of law that bars aid to the government of Azerbaijan
until it lifts its blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh.
President Bush has subsequently used this authority to provide
direct aid, including military assistance, to the government of
Azerbaijan, despite their continued violation of the provisions of
this law.
5) Reduction in aid to Armenia
In the face of the devastating, multi-billion dollar impact of the
Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades on the Armenian economy,
President Bush has, in each of his years in office, proposed to
Congress that Freedom Support Act humanitarian and developmental
aid to Armenia be reduced.
6) Abandonment of the Military Aid Parity Agreement
The Bush Administration abandoned its November 2001 agreement with
Congress and the Armenian American community to maintain even
levels of military aid to Armenia and Azerbaijan. In successive
budgets submitted to Congress, the President effectively sought to
tilt the regional military balance in favor of Azerbaijan,
undermining the role of the U.S. as an impartial mediator, despite
Azerbaijan’s increasingly violent threats of renewed aggression.
7) Mistaken Listing of Armenia as a Terrorist Country
The Bush Administration sought, unsuccessfully, in December of 2002
to place Armenia on an Immigration and Naturalization Service watch
list for terrorist countries. This obvious error was reversed only
after a nation-wide protest campaign. Neither the White House nor
the Department of Justice has apologized for the offense caused by
this mistake.
8) Lack of U.S.-Armenia Presidential visitations
The President neither visited Armenia nor did he invite the
President of Armenia to visit the United States, despite similar
visits by the leaders of Georgia and Azerbaijan.
9) Failure to maintain a balanced policy on Nagorno Karabagh
The Bush Administration, to its credit, took an early initiative to
help resolve the Nagorno Karabagh issue in the form of the Key West
summit meeting in 2001 between Secretary of State Powell and the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. After Azerbaijan’s failure to
honor its Key West commitments, however, the Administration failed
to hold Azerbaijan accountable for unilaterally stalling the
Nagorno Karabagh peace process.
10) Taxpayer financing of the Baku-Ceyhan bypass of Armenia
The Bush Administration supported American taxpayer subsidies for
the politically motivated Baku-Ceyhan pipeline route that, at the
insistence of Turkey and Azerbaijan, bypassed Armenia.
11) Refusal to pressure Turkey and Azerbaijan to end their
blockades
The Bush Administration has not forcefully condemned the Turkish
and Azerbaijani blockades as clear violations of international law,
nor, outside of occasional public statements, has it taken any
meaningful steps to pressure the Turkish or Azerbaijani governments
to end their illegal border closures.
12) Neglect of relations with the Armenian American community
Breaking with the tradition of the last several Administrations,
the Bush White House failed to reach out in any meaningful way to
our nation’s one and a half million citizens of Armenian heritage.
While the State Department, Pentagon and National Security Council
maintained their long-standing, policy-level dialogue with the
Armenian American community leadership, the White House itself
essentially neglected Armenian Americans as a civic constituency.