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
December 7, 2009
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: "DO THE RIGHT THING. RECOGNIZE THE
ARMENIAN GENOCIDE"
— White House meeting with Erdogan takes place as
Armenian Americans continue call-in campaign urging Obama
to honor his Armenian Genocide Pledge
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian Americans made the final push
in their month-long Countdown to Erdogan with a White House
call-in day urging President Barack Obama to honor his
campaign pledge by telling visiting Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Erdogan that the U.S. condemns the Armenian Genocide,
reported the Armenian National Committee of America,
(ANCA).
"In April, President Obama missed an opportunity to reclaim
the moral high ground on ending the cycle of genocide,"
stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "Today, in
his meeting with Prime Minister Erdogan, we urge President
Obama to ‘get it right’ – by recognizing the Armenian
Genocide and urging Turkey’s leadership to do the same."
The ANCA Executive Director had expressed concerns about
Prime Minister Erdogan’s efforts to use the meeting with
Obama to continue U.S. complicity in Armenian Genocide
denial:
"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.
————————————– ——————–
Countdown to Erdogan Campaign Channels Armenian American
Concerns to White House, Congress, and Media
——————————————– ————–
Armenian Americans concerned about the Obama-Erdogan 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, it 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 last week
praising the Turkey-Armenia protocols, and once again,
refraining to properly characterize that crime against
humanity.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
