ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION KEY TO RENEWED U.S.-TURKEY RELATIONS

PR Newswire

nocide.pdf/

20090406/DC9473705042009-1.html
April 6 2009

WASHINGTON, April 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — President Barack
Obama’s trip to Turkey affords him an opportunity to reset U.S.-Turkey
relations based on a shared commitment to truth and mutual respect,
starting with a break from the gag-rule that Turkey has long imposed
on U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide – the Ottoman Turkish
Empire’s annihilation of over 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923.

"President Obama is the right man at the right time to speak
honestly in Turkey about the Armenian Genocide," said Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "President Obama, in honoring his pledge to recognize the
Armenian Genocide, will show the world that America’s leadership in
condemning genocide will never again be held hostage to threats from
a foreign government."

During talks with Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President Obama will discuss a range of concerns,
including Turkey’s 15-year illegal blockade of Armenia. Recent talks
between Turkey and Armenia remain tenuous, with Erdogan, as recently
as Friday, denying the Armenian Genocide and setting the resolution of
the Nagorno Karabagh conflict as a precondition for establishing ties
with Armenia. Armenian authorities have long called for normalized
relations with Turkey with no preconditions.

As a Senator and presidential candidate, President Obama pledged
repeatedly to recognize the Armenian Genocide and promised
"unstinting resolve" to end the Darfur Genocide, stating,
"America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the
Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I
intend to be that President." View his record on the issue at:
_Genocide.pdf

The ANCA has launched the "Fierce Urgency of Now"
() campaign urging anti-genocide activists
to ask the Obama Administration and Congress to take action to end the
Darfur Genocide and to recognize the Armenian Genocide. The effort is
inspired by President Obama’s campaign remarks: "I am running because
of what Dr. King called ‘the fierce urgency of now.’ I am running
because I do believe there’s such a thing as being too late. And that
hour is almost here."

The Armenian Genocide is commemorated worldwide April
24th. U.S. presidents traditionally issue statements on this day
honoring the victims of this crime. More than 20 countries, including
12 NATO allies, have recognized the Armenian Genocide, along with 41
U.S. states.