Armenian National Committee – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
Fax: 818.246.7353
ancwr@anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
August 8, 2008
Contact: Ani Garabedian
ANCA-WR and Cong. Berman Discuss Genocide Denial in Universities
Van Nuys, CA – Members of the Armenian National Committee of America –
Western Region (ANCA-WR) met with long time friend and supporter
Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA-28) on August 5, 2008 to discuss
current issues relating to the Armenian American community.
Congressman Berman serves as Chairman of the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs (HCFA).
"The Armenian American community deeply appreciates Chairman Berman’s
keen awareness of and respect for human rights," stated ANCA-WR
Executive Director Andrew Kzirian. "We shall work closely with the
Chairman in the future to ensure that genocide denial has no place in
the United States," he added.
During the meeting the ANCA-WR expressed their appreciation to Berman
regarding the two hour hearing that he led on June 18, 2008, which
included over a dozen members of Congress questioning Assistant
Secretary Dan Fried on the U.S. policy of complicity in Armenian
Genocide denial, Turkey’s blockade, and Azerbaijan’s escalating
threats of war. The meeting set the tone for intense questioning of
Fried by Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-CA-33) over the Armenian
Genocide.
The hearing also served as prelude to a recent letter from the U.S.
State Department stating that the Ottoman government was responsible
for the acts of 1915. Additionally, the letter stated that a joint
project of archivists would be initiated from Armenia and Turkey to
study the history and preserve documents describing the Armenian
Genocide as it occurred by eyewitnesses and not to study whether
genocide occurred. This correspondence from the State department was
sent in response to requests from US Senators Boxer and Biden over the
nomination of Ambassador Yovanovitch to be the next U.S. Ambassador to
Armenia.
Attendees also shared their thoughts regarding the Turkish
government’s recent infiltration of American institutions of higher
education. The meeting participants discussed the Southern Poverty Law
Center’s recent feature on this phenomenon. Furthermore, the
Institute of Turkish Studies in Washington also was discussed as the
institute’s director resigned after the Turkish Ambassador reportedly
threatened to cut off funding for the program because the director
acknowledged the Armenian Genocide in a book review.
Among those present at the meeting were ANCA-WR Chairman Vicken
Sonentz-Papazian, ANCA-WR Board Member Avo Ovayan, ANCA-WR Executive
Director Andrew Kzirian, as well as ANCA-WR Interns Amy Kaladzhyan,
Shant Karnikian and Mikael Kourinian.
Berman represents northern areas of Hollywood, the eastern half of the
San Fernando Valley and the city of San Fernando. In 2007, Berman
served as a strong supporter of H. Res. 106, authoring a powerful dear
colleague letter espousing the Armenian Genocide resolution. The
letter discussed the classification of the Armenian Genocide as
historically accurate by the International Association of Genocide
Scholars and called for Turkey to recognize this crime against
humanity. On October 10, 2007, the HCFA passed H. Res. 106 by a vote
of 27-21, including supportive remarks by then-second ranking Democrat
Berman.
Berman has served in the House of Representatives since 1983
representing the 28th Congressional district of California. Born in
Los Angeles and educated at the University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA), Berman was a lawyer and a member of the California State
Assembly from 1972-1983.
The Armenian National Committee of America is the largest and most
influential Armenian American grassroots political organization.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations
around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the
Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.