ASSEMBLY WELCOMES SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN’S SUPPORT OF ARMENIA’S APPROACH TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH TURKEY
armradio.am
13.11.2009 10:58
In a letter sent today, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly)
thanked Senator John McCain (R-AZ) for affirming the historical truth
regarding the Armenian Genocide and for his support of a new chapter
in Armenia-Turkey relations.
During Senator McCain’s interview with Voice of America’s Georgian
service, Senator McCain acknowledged the Armenian Genocide and also
expressed his support for the Armenia-Turkish rapprochement.
"We strongly believe that U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide
should not be held hostage to the normalization process and as such
welcome Senator McCain’s remarks," stated Assembly Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny. "The Assembly has also consistently expressed its
support for normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey
without preconditions," added Ardouny.
In the Assembly’s letter to Senator McCain, Ardouny highlighted the
need to redouble America’s efforts to reaffirm the Armenian Genocide
in the face of continued campaign to deny its very occurrence and
quoted Archbishop Desmond Tutu who has stated: "It is sadly true what
a cynic has said, that we learn from history that we do not learn
from history. And yet it is possible that if the world had been
conscious of the genocide that was committed by the Ottoman Turks
against the Armenians, the first genocide of the twentieth century,
then perhaps humanity might have been more alert to the warning signs
that were being given before Hitler’s madness was unleashed on an
unbelieving world."
The Assembly letter also urged McCain to cosponsor S. Res. 316, the
Armenian Genocide Resolution introduced by Senators Robert Menendez
(D-NJ) and John Ensign (R-NV).