ARMENIAN CAUCUS CO-CHAIRMEN VOICE CONCERNS OVER PROTOCOLS
Yerkir
04.09.2009 14:48
Yerevan
Yerevan (Yerkir) – The Co-Chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues, Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Mark Kirk
(R-IL) on September 3 expressed their reservations regarding Turkey’s
willingness to cooperate in the implementation of its agreements
under a set of recently signed protocols on the normalization of
Turkey-Armenia relations, reported the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA).
In a public statement, the two legislators called into question
several points related to the protocols, including Turkey’s pattern
of using its ongoing dialogue with Armenia as a "stall tactic" to
delay the lifting of its illegal 16-year blockade of Armenia. The
Co-Chairman also noted their concern regarding Turkey’s efforts to
impose preconditions, stressing that: "Normalization of relations
should take place without preconditions." In a clear rebuke to the
"historical commission" long advanced by Turkey, they set forth their
view that: "Any attempt to include a review of historical fact, such
as the Armenian Genocide, or to include the ongoing Nagorno Karabakh
peace process into these negotiations stands in direct opposition to
the intent of these talks."
The leaders of the Armenian Caucus closed their statement by expressing
their hope that, "Turkey, by lifting its illegal bloc kade, will
open the door to normalized relations between Yerevan and Ankara,
and a new era of Armenia-Turkey relations based on truth, justice,
peace and cooperation."
Earlier this week, Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), the lead author
of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, expressed "serious concerns about
some provisions of the protocols," stating that "In particular, I was
deeply disappointed to see that the protocols call for the creation of
an historical commission to review the events of 1915-23. This is a
thoroughly discredited idea; there is no dispute among scholars that
the Armenian people were the subject of genocide during the waning
days of the Ottoman Empire and an historical commission is another
effort to obfuscate the truth."
Rep. Schiff went on to state that "True reconciliation between the
Armenian and Turkish peoples will occur when Turkey acknowledges the
genocide that was committed by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians
from 1915 – 1923."
On Tuesday, the ANCA circulated a memo to Members of Congress,
noting that "among primary concerns is that Armenia, blockaded by
Turkey and under intense economic and diplomatic pressure, was forced
into accepting terms that threaten her interests, rights, safety,
and future – very notably in the form of a proposed ‘historical
commission.’" The memo went on to note that "This provision, a tactic
long pursued by Ankara to cast doubt on the historical record of the
Armenian Genocide, is intended to serve Turkey’s drive to roll back
the growing tide of international recognition of this crime against
humanity. There can be no enduring relationship between Armenia and
Turkey that is not built upon the foundation of Turkey’s acceptance
of a true and just resolution of this crime."
Armenian Americans began expressing their concerns to Members of
Congress through an ANCA WebFax campaign urging lawmakers to call for
an investigation into State Department pressure on Armenia to agree to
the inclusion of a ‘historical commission’ – an affront to descendants
of Armenian Genocide victims and survivors around the world.