ANCA Calls on President Obama to Condemn Gordon Statements

armradio.am
20.03.2010 15:05

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) expressed shock and
disappointment at U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Phil Gordon’s
remarks seeking to justify recent threats by Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan to deport Armenian citizens from Turkey.

`Prime Minister Erdogan’s menacing threat to deport Armenians
represents the most chilling evidence that Turkey, despite the best
efforts of its Washington allies to whitewash its record, remains
committed and to the same violent attitudes and intentions that led to
the Genocide of 1915,’ stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
`Sec. Gordon, having already played a central role in enforcing
Turkey’s gag rule within the Administration and recently in Congress,
has now reached a new low, becoming a personal apologist for hateful
and violence-inciting threats by Erdogan. We call upon President Obama
to immediately condemn Secretary Gordon’s comments and affirm for the
record that the U.S. government in no way condones renewed threats by
Turkey against the Armenian people.’

Just weeks after the Swedish Parliament and the U.S. House Foreign
Affairs Committee adopted legislation recognizing the Armenian
Genocide, Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan told BBC reporters, that
"There are 170,000 Armenians in my country, of which 70,000 are my
citizens. We’re turning a blind eye to the other 100,000. However,
tomorrow, if it becomes necessary, I would say to those 100,000, go
back to your country. Why? Because they’re not my citizens; I’m not
obliged to keep them in my country.’

Despite outrage expressed by Government officials and media around the
world and within Turkey, Assistant Secretary Phillip Gordon tried to
explain away Erdogan’s comments as a mere statement on immigration
policy. "In my opinion, Prime Minister Erdogan only wanted to
highlight that there are 100,000 Armenians living in Turkey illegally.
I don’t believe he threatened to deport them from the country. Those
are separate issues. Every country has an issue with illegal
immigrants and approaches it according to its laws,’ Gordon remarked.
The comment was originally reported by CNN-Turk, reprinted in the
Armenian news site Tert.am, and verified by the ANCA in a conversation
with State Department officials.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress