Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email.anca@anca.org
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
February 2, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
SENATOR McCAIN SHARES VIEWS WITH ARMENIAN AMERICAN VOTERS
— Letter to ANCA Condemns Murder of as Many as One and a Half
Million Armenians; Falls Short of Armenian Genocide Recognition
— Romney Campaign Shares prior Gubernatorial proclamations on
Armenian Genocide
WASHINGTON, DC – Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain, in a
letter sent today to the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA), reached out to Armenian American voters by outlining his
views on issues of special concern to the Armenian American
community.
The Arizona Senator’s letter, while notably falling short of
properly characterizing the Armenian Genocide, condemns the "the
brutal murder of as many as one and a half million Armenians under
the rule of the Ottoman Empire," and praises the Armenian American
community for "ensuring that one of the greatest tragedies of the
20th century is never forgotten." The longtime legislator and
Vietnam War veteran wrote that:
"It is fair to say that this tragedy, the brutal murder of as many
as one and a half million Armenians under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire, has also been one of the most neglected. The suffering
endured by the Armenian people during that period represented the
prologue to what has come to be known as humanity’s bloodiest
century."
Senator McCain described "the rise of independent Armenia from such
painful experiences" as "extremely inspirational," and praised "the
vibrancy of the Armenian diaspora." He went on to express his deep
admiration for "both Armenia’s support of coalition operations in
Iraq and NATO peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo, as well as the
Armenian-American community’s great contributions to our nation.
In my visits to Armenia, I have been deeply impressed by the
tremendous progress made in very difficult circumstances." He
closed his letter by expressing that he "greatly appreciate[s] this
opportunity and look forward to working with the Armenian-American
community in my campaign and as the next President of the United
States."
As a Senator, John McCain has opposed the Armenian Genocide
Resolution and has not generally been proactive in supporting other
elements of the Armenian American legislative agenda. At a town
hall meeting in New Hampshire on Sunday, January 6, 2008 Senator
McCain was reported to have answered a question on the Armenian
Genocide by noting that he recognizes the Armenian Genocide, but
opposes the Armenian Genocide Resolution due to the Turkish
government’s sensitivities. In correspondence with Arizona
constituents he wrote, in October of 2007, that, "Condemning modern
Turkey for the acts of the Ottoman Empire would serve only to harm
relations with the Turkish people while injecting the Congress into
the sensitive role of historian of a period clearly preceding the
births of all but a very few congressmen. That is not a
development I wish to help facilitate."
In 1989, Senator McCain introduced legislation supporting a
peaceful and fair settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict and
later supported Section 907 and the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act.
In 1999, however, he voted against maintaining Section 907.
In February of 2000, Senator McCain wrote, in an earlier campaign
letter to the ANCA, that he condemned "the systematic murder of as
many as one and a half million Armenians," and welcomed "Armenia’s
emergence as an independent nation and its growth as a democracy."
He also discussed his 1997 visit to Armenia, during which he "was
fortunate to witness . . . the gains that country has made since it
achieved independence from the former Soviet Union," and noted his
"sincere desire to continue to forge the closest relations between
Armenia and the United States."
The Romney for President campaign has shared with the ANCA copies
of proclamations made by Gov. Romney during his tenure as
Massachusetts governor. While the first three statements during
his four years in office properly described the Armenian Genocide
as genocide, his fourth and final statement refrained from using
the accurate terminology. To date, the Romney for President
campaign has not issued any statement on issues of concern to the
Armenian American community.
The McCain campaign can be contacted at the following coordinates:
John McCain 2008
P.O. Box 16118
Arlington, VA 22215
Tel: 703-418-2008
Website:
The full text of Senator McCain’s letter is provided below.
The Romney campaign can be contacted at the following coordinates:
Romney for President
P.O. Box 55899
Boston, MA 02205-5899
Phone: (857) 288-6400
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
anca@anca.org.
#####
February 1, 2008
Aram Hamparian
Executive Director
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Thank you for contacting me regarding my views on issues of special
concern to the Armenian-American community – a community which has
contributed richly to the American fabric and has been instrumental
in ensuring that one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century
is never forgotten.
It is fair to say that this tragedy, the brutal murder of as many
as one and a half million Armenians under the rule of the Ottoman
Empire, has also been one of the most neglected. The suffering
endured by the Armenian people during that period represented the
prologue to what has come to be known as humanity’s bloodiest
century.
Therefore, the rise of independent Armenia from such painful
experiences is extremely inspirational, as is the vibrancy of the
Armenian diaspora. In particular, I deeply admire both Armenia’s
support of coalition operations in Iraq and NATO peacekeeping
efforts in Kosovo, as well as the Armenian-American community’s
great contributions to our nation. In my visits to Armenia, I have
been deeply impressed by the tremendous progress made in very
difficult circumstances.
I greatly appreciate this opportunity and look forward to working
with the Armenian-American community in my campaign and as the next
President of the United States.
Sincerely,
John McCain