Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
November 5, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
2010 COLORADO U.S. SENATE CONTENDERS SPEAK OUT
ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
— Romanoff Reaffirms Longstanding Support
WASHINGTON, DC – The two leading contenders for Colorado’s
Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, Andrew Romanoff and Michael
Bennet, have staked out their views on U.S. recognition of the
Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).
Romanoff, a longstanding and vocal advocate for Armenian Genocide
recognition, announced his candidacy on September 16th, challenging
Bennet, who has held this Senate seat since he was appointed
earlier this year by Colorado’s Governor Bill Ritter to fill the
vacancy left when Ken Salazar departed the Senate to serve as
Secretary of the Interior. During his service in the Senate,
Salazar established a record, along with nearly all the other
members in the state’s Congressional delegation, of co-sponsoring
the Armenian Genocide Resolution, advocating Armenian priorities,
and supporting anti-genocide initiatives.
In an exclusive letter to the Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates [text
below], Romanoff, the former Speaker of the Colorado House,
reviewed his extensive record in support of Armenian American
concerns and pledged, if elected, to be an original co-sponsor of a
Senate Armenian Genocide Resolution.
Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates co-editor and ANCA activist Vi Bashian
Cooper praised Mr. Romanoff’s steadfast record of support stating;
"Speaker Romanoff has repeatedly demonstrated his longstanding
loyalty to our community and our abiding wish to have the Armenian
Genocide affirmed as United States policy. His actions as a
Colorado state legislator, including his service as Speaker of the
House, confirm his consistent dedication and honor to Colorado
Armenian Americans. Mr. Romanoff is one of those rare shining
lights of character and intellect on the Colorado political stage.
He will represent our Rocky Mountain state and our national
Armenian-American community with distinction should he be elected
to the United States Senate."
Senator Bennet, in letters sent to his Armenian American
constituents during his first months in office, addressed the
Armenian Genocide as a "heartfelt opinion." More recently,
including in a letter received by RMHA on October 26th, he has been
more straightforward, describing the Ottoman Turkish Empire’s
systematic slaughter of Armenians as genocide. He further states
that, "I certainly understand your frustration with those who would
attempt to qualify or recast these deaths as mere casualties of
war." Senator Bennet remains silent as to whether he will co-
sponsor the Armenian Genocide Resolution, S.Res.316, currently
before the U.S. Senate.
"Armenian Americans from across Colorado welcome our friend Andrew
Romanoff’s reaffirmation of his longstanding record in support of
Armenian Genocide condemnation and commemoration, and are, as well,
very gratified that Senator Bennet has joined with so many of his
colleagues in our state’s Congressional delegation in properly
recognizing this crime against humanity," said Jirair Christianian,
a Colorado Armenian American businessman and ANCA grassroots
activist. "We look to Senator Bennet, in the coming days, to act
upon his principled stand by agreeing to serve as an official
cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide Resolution."
For his part, Governor Ritter, who appointed Bennet, has a strong
record on the Armenian Genocide. He has continued the tradition of
his predecessors in annually issuing an Armenian Commemoration
proclamation. Last month, he distinguished Colorado as the first
state in the nation proclaiming "Genocide Awareness Day."
#####
TEXT OF SENATE CANDIDATE ANDREW ROMANOFF’S LETTER TO THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN HYE ADVOCATES
October 27, 2009
Rocky Mountain Hye Advocates
Dear Mrs. Bashian Cooper and Ms. Barsam Brown,
As a state legislator, I was proud to serve as an original
cosponsor of the Armenian Genocide resolution. I will do the same
in the United States Senate.
I have actively supported the recognition of the Armenian Genocide
– an atrocity resulting in the extermination of three-quarters of
the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian minority population. Today,
Armenians remain on the defensive, as evidenced by California’s
federal appeals court decision last month related to WWI/Ottoman
Empire insurance claims. The federal appellate panel finding
stated, "There is an express federal policy prohibiting legislative
recognition of an ‘Armenian genocide.’" The court’s interpretation
of our national commitment should be a red flag that it is
imperative our Congress adopt an Armenian genocide resolution and
render denial unacceptable.
This year, as Colorado became the first state in the nation to
establish a "Genocide Awareness Day," I addressed my remarks during
the press event to single out the first genocide of the 20th
century. As George Santayana said. "Those who do not remember the
past are condemned to repeat it." We know from experiencing
today’s horrors in Darfur that we must be vigilant in recalling our
past as we seek to end ethnic and cultural devastation.
As a member of Colorado’s House of Representatives, I was a
cosponsor of the first General Assembly resolution in 2002
proclaiming April 24th as our "Colorado Day of Remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide." I continued my cosponsorship of this annual
resolution in 2003 and 2004.
In 2005, I was proud to be its prime sponsor, commemorating the
90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. At the invitation of
"Armenians of Colorado," I spoke at their annual commemorative
ceremony conducted on the State Capitol grounds at the Armenian
Genocide Memorial Plaque.
In 2006, as Colorado’s Speaker of the House, I was honored to sign
the joint Remembrance resolution. Later, as a guest of the "AOC,"
I spoke of our work in Colorado to affirm the Armenian Genocide
resolution and our efforts to secure its adoption at the national
level.
In 2007 and 2008, my last session in the Colorado House of
Representatives, I was again honored as House Speaker to sign the
General Commemorative Resolution.
My record speaks to my sense of duty and moral clarity in working
with Colorado’s Armenian community to press for the adoption of a
United States resolution which affirms the historical record of the
Armenian genocide.
I look forward to representing Colorado. Thank you for your
consideration.
[signed]
Andrew Romanoff
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
