Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. anca@anca.org
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
December 4, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ERDOGAN LOOKING TO LOCK IN OBAMA-BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION SILENCE ON GENOCIDE
— Final Days of Countdown to Erdogan Lead up to December
7th White House Call-In Day Urging President Obama to "Get
it Right"
WASHINGTON, DC – With the White House meeting between
President Obama and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan just days away, the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA) once again voiced its concerns over the
Turkish government’s increasingly energetic efforts to
cement in place the Obama Administration’s refusal to
properly recognize the Armenian Genocide.
"Prime Minister Erdogan – having succeeded in using the
Ankara-inspired Protocols to enlist the cooperation of yet
another U.S. Administration into its campaign to block
recognition of the Armenian Genocide – is now coming to
Washington to cement his gains and further press his
advantage," said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
"High on his agenda, it seems, will be showcasing Turkey’s
public disregard for President Obama’s twin priorities for
Armenia-Turkey normalization, namely that they be
established without preconditions and within a reasonable
time-frame. Today, more than seven months after our
President’s speech in Ankara – during which he broke his
pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide – it’s patently
clear that Turkey has in fact imposed preconditions, will
not act in a reasonable time-frame, and, more broadly,
views this entire process as simply a way to extend U.S.
complicity in Turkey’s denials from one April 24th to the
next," added Hamparian.
Armenian Americans concerned about Erdogan’s agenda have
participated in the ANCA’s "Countdown to Erdogan" campaign
– the month-long grassroots initiative to encourage
President Obama to challenge Turkey’s Prime Minister with
the facts of the Armenian Genocide during their December
7th White House meeting.
The "Countdown" has generated media coverage in the U.S.,
Turkey, and Armenia, and, as participation in the campaign
grew with each passing week, came under increasingly heavy
attack from the Turkish lobby. The United Press
International reported, on December 1st, that, "The
Armenian National Committee of America stepped up its
lobbying efforts ahead of the [Erdogan] visit, calling on
its supporters to contact their Washington representatives
to encourage Obama to make true on his campaign pledge to
recognize the Armenian genocide." The Turkish Coalition
publicly criticized the campaign as a political
"blitzkrieg."
The final days of the effort are devoted to calling
directly on President Obama – through phone calls, letters,
and social networking vehicles – to honor his pledge to
recognize the Armenian Genocide and urging him to
demonstrate resolve in working to end the ongoing cycle of
genocide and denial. The calls are increasingly important
following a letter issued by President Obama earlier today
praising the Turkey-Armenia protocols, and once again,
refraining to properly characterize that crime against
humanity.
On the day of the meeting between President Obama and Prime
Minister Erdogan, the ANCA has organized a final push of
phone calls to the White House. Links to a sample phone
script and phone number will be available at
Examples of U.S. and Turkish media coverage of the ANCA
"Countdown to Erdogan" are provided below:
UPI: Armenians Brace for Erdogan Visit
02/Armenians-brace-for-Erdogans-US-visit/UPI-59441 259703715/
Hurriyet: US Armenians step up ‘genocide recognition’
campaign ahead of Erdogan visit
armenians-step-up-genocide-recognition-campaign-ah ead-of-erdogan-visit-2009-11-30
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress