RUSTAMYAN URGES US HOUSE TO ADOPT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
Yerkir
23.03.2009 18:04
Yerevan (Yerkir) – Armen Rustamyan, the chairman of the Armenian
parliament’s Standing Committee on Foreign Relations, sent on March 19
a letter to Howard Berman, the chairman of the US House Committee on
Foreign Affairs, regaidng the Armenian Genocide resolution introduced
in the House.
Below is the text of the letter.
Dear Chairman Berman:
I have the pleasure to write to you upon the introduction of
legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide, and to share with you
and your colleagues our complete support for the adoption of this
measure affirming the commitment of the United States to the cause of
genocide-prevention. Armenia aspires for the universal recognition
and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, and sees it both as a
restoration of an historical justice and as a way to improve the
overall situation in the region, while also preventing similar crimes
in the future.
The Armenian people in our homeland, in the United States and
around the world, remain grateful for the hard work that you and
your colleagues, including, of course Congressmen Adam Schiff and
George Radanovich, have devoted over the course of many years
to secure U.S. recognition and official commemoration of this
crime. I am confident that the proponents of this process are
also rightly convinced that the lack of official recognition of the
Armenian20Genocide by the United States has thus far in fact served to
make Turkey’s position in the issue of resolving the Armenian-Turkish
relations more uncompromising. We value these efforts and are, this
year, particularly encouraged by the clear statements of President
Barack Obama and senior members of his Administration in this regard
during the elections.
Please know that I remain available to share with your Congressional
colleagues, either in writing or in person, the principled stand of
the Republic of Armenia in support of universal recognition of the
Armenian Genocide. I am confident that the recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the United Stated not only would not hamper, but on the
contrary will contribute to the prospects of a thorough dialogue
between Turkey and Armenia. A clear and principled stance by the
U.S. can only assist in developing awareness that the recognition of
the Genocide is not at all a demonstration of anti-Turkish sentiments,
but a necessity emanating from the need to condemn this crime against
humanity. Furthermore, any durable improvement of Armenia-Turkey
relations must rest upon a foundation of shared respect for truth
and justice.