ANCA CHAIRMAN URGES OBAMA TO REVERSE COURSE

irman-urges-obama-to-reverse-course/
May 18th, 2009

WASHINGTON-The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Chairman
Ken Hachikian urged President Barack Obama on Monday to "act quickly"
to correct a "disturbing" course his administration has chosen to
take on Armenian American issues.

In a May 18th letter to the White House, Hachikian addressed both the
President’s decision not to honor his repeated promises to recognize
the Armenian Genocide, as well as his recent proposal to cut aid to
Armenia by 38% even as he increases overall foreign aid spending and
the level of assistance he seeks to the regions of Europe, Eurasia,
and South/Central Asia.

"You failed to honor your commitment to lift our nation’s response
to genocide to the level of our shared American values, choosing,
instead, to allow America’s willingness to respond forcefully to this
horrific crime to remain hostage to Turkish threats and intimidation,"
Hachikian said in the letter.

Hachikian called on the President to "act quickly" to correct the
"disturbing" stand by "immediately condemning and commemorating"
the Armenian Genocide and by "working publicly toward the adoption
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution before the U.S. Congress."

Obama’s failure to keep his promise continues the "morally flawed
policy of allowing Turkey to veto our stand on human rights,"
Hachikian said, adding that Obama’s decision effectively allowed
Turkey to continue imposing a "gag" rule on U.S. recognition of the
Armenian Genocide.

"Your broken pledge represents both a grave offense to Armenian
Americans and a disservice to all Americans who understand that our
nation’s leadership in confronting genocide should never be reduced
to a political issue that can be traded away, retreated from under
pressure, or used to advance a political agenda, of any kind,"
Hachikian said.

Turkey had made no secret of its hopes to use its current rapprochement
with Armenia to deter an official US recognition of the Armenian
Genocide. But according to Hachikian, the ongoing dialogue between
Armenia and Turkey should have no bearing on the President’s
willingness to speak the truth about the Armenian Genocide.

"Our stand against all instances of genocide should be unconditional,"
he said in the letter.

Hachikian also relayed the Armenian-American community’s disappointment
at the administration’s recent cut in aid to Armenia. "The Armenian
American community is also troubled that, despite your pledge to
maintain aid to Armenia and to foster her growth and development, you
have called for a 38% cut in economic aid to Armenia," Hachikian said.

The President’s request represents "the sharpest cut, by a significant
margin, among all the recipient nations of Europe, Eurasia, and South
and Central Asia," Hachikian added, noting that the cut comes as the
administration seeks an overall 9 percent escalation in international
affairs spending.

Obama’s budget request for foreign aid also included a request to
increase military aid to Azerbaijan, a move that will breach military
aid parity between in favor of Baku and tilt the regional military
balance and send a dangerous signal to Azerbaijani leaders "who have
made no secret of their intent to use force of arms to settle the
Nagorno Karabakh issue," Hachikian said.

A PDF version of Hachikian’s letter can be found at:
Obama_0509.pdf

The full text of the ANCA letter is provided below:

May 18, 2009 The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:

I am writing on behalf of the Armenian National Committee of America
to voice the Armenian American community’s profound disappointment
with your decision not to honor your pledge to recognize the Armenian
Genocide.

In breaking your clearly stated and unambiguous commitment, you
bitterly disappointed all those who believed in your solemn word to
change a flawed U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide, a policy that
you yourself, in a letter you sent to your constituents last year,
sharply criticized as "inexcusable." More broadly, you failed to honor
your commitment to lift our nation’s response to genocide to the level
of our shared American values, choosing, instead, to allow America’s
willingness to respond forcefully to this horrific crime to remain
hostage to Turkish threats and intimidation. This failure continues
the morally flawed policy of allowing Turkey to veto our stand on
human rights by effectively imposing a "gag" rule on U.S. recognition
of the Armenian Genocide.

Your broken pledge represents both a grave offense to Armenian
Americans and a disservice to all Americans who understand that our
nation’s leadership in confronting genocide should never be reduced
to a political issue that can be traded away, retreated from under
pressure, or used to advance a political agenda, of any kind.

The ongoing dialogue between Armenia and Turkey should have no bearing
on your willingness to speak the truth about the Armenian Genocide;
our stand against all instances of genocide should be unconditional.

What is so particularly disturbing about your reversal is that,
in the course of your service in the United States Senate and your
candidacy for the Presidency, you articulated a thorough knowledge
of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, a firm grasp of the practical
geo-political implications of proper American recognition of this
atrocity, a comprehensive view of the value of Turkey’s relationship
to the United States, and a clear understanding of the profound moral
issues at stake in the condemnation and commemoration of this crime
against humanity. Nothing has changed since you gave your word except
your failure to uphold it.

I respectfully call upon you to act quickly to correct your stand
on the Armenian Genocide by properly and immediately condemning and
commemorating this crime, and by working publicly toward the adoption
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution before the U.S. Congress.

The Armenian American community is also troubled that, despite
your pledge to maintain aid to Armenia and to foster her growth
and development, you have called for a 38% cut in economic aid to
Armenia. This represents the sharpest cut, by a significant margin,
among all the recipient nations of Europe, Eurasia, and South
and Central Asia, and takes place with the context of substantial
proposed increases to each of these three regions and a roughly 9%
overall escalation in international affairs spending.

The singling out of Armenia, which has sent troops to Iraq and Kosovo,
appears set to contribute to our operations in Afghanistan, and hosted
the first NATO exercise in the region following the Russia-Georgia
war, for such a dramatic cut, even as it endures dual Turkish and
Azerbaijani blockades and an acute economic crisis, is profoundly
troubling to our community. Compounding this disappointment was
your decision to breach the Armenia-Azerbaijan military aid parity
agreement in favor of Baku, a move that tilts the regional military
balance and sends a dangerous signal to Azerbaijani leaders who have
made no secret of their intent to use force of arms to settle the
Nagorno Karabagh issue.

I appreciate your attention to the concerns of the Armenian American
community and remain hopeful that you will, consistent with your
campaign commitments, revise the course your Administration has
chosen on issues of special concern to Armenia Americans. We would,
of course, welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss these
matters personally and in greater detail.

Sincerely, Kenneth V. Hachikian Chairman