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

April 7, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

ANCA CALLS ON OBAMA TO HONOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION PLEDGE

— Letter to White House Calls for a U.S. Stand that is "Truthful,
Just, and Worthy of the American People"

WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
today went on record, once again, asking President Obama to honor
his campaign promise to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The one-page letter, signed by ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian and sent
in the days leading up to President Obama’s second April 24th in
office, asks, simply, that President Obama keep his commitment and
"stand for a policy that is truthful, just, and worthy of the
American people."

Hachikian also addressed two points of special concern that have
further compounded the anger and outrage felt by Armenian American
voters over the President’s broken promise; his pressure on Armenia
to accept the one-sided, pro-Ankara Protocols; his support for
Turkey’s "historical commission" denial tactic; and his attacks on
the Armenian Genocide Resolution. The first dealt with the
unfortunate and inappropriate practice by the current and previous
presidents to use April 24th, a day of solemn remembrance, as a
platform to offer policy statements about Armenia, Turkey, and the
surrounding region. The second concerned the fact that the
President, despite devoting considerable attention to Armenian
issues, has yet to agree, consistent with his campaign promise, to
meet with the broad-based leadership of the Armenian American
community.

The full text of the ANCA’s April 7, 2010 letter is provided below.
A copy of the actual letter can be viewed on the ANCA website:
ertoObama.pdf

The full text of the March 8, 2010 ANCA letter to President Obama
regarding his opposition to the Armenian Genocide Resolution is
also available:
s_releases.php?prid=1833

To download the complete ANCA "Obama File" of Senate and campaign
statements on the Armenian Genocide, visit:
ian_Genocide.pdf

#####

April 7, 2010

The Honorable Barack Obama
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

I am writing on the eve of the April 24, 2010 commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide, to once again urge you to honor your promise to
recognize the Armenian Genocide.

We have, as you know, written on several occasions to share with
you our profound disappointment regarding your Administration’s
failures to meet your own moral standard on this issue. In
restating our request, we will neither quote, as we have in the
past, from your many campaign pledges, nor review again each of the
many specific concerns that we have raised with you regarding the
Armenian Genocide, Congressional efforts to properly recognize this
atrocity, and Turkey’s cynical use of the Protocols to maintain
U.S. complicity in Ankara’s denial of this crime.

As citizens, we simply call upon you, as our President, to honor
your own commitments. We ask only that you keep faith with your
own understanding of the Armenian Genocide and the modern-day
consequences of this still unresolved crime against humanity. We
expect simply that you stand for a policy that is truthful, just,
and worthy of the American people.

I would also respectfully ask you to consider, as you prepare your
remarks, that April 24th represents a profoundly solemn remembrance
for our community and for all who care about the painful legacy of
this horrific crime. We look to the White House to mark this day
sincerely and not, as has too often been the case, to view it as an
opportunity to present a policy statement on the region. An
explanation of U.S. priorities regarding Armenia-Turkey relations
or other current foreign policy issues, while certainly entirely
appropriate in other settings, clearly does not belong in a
Presidential April 24th statement, just as a statement of U.S.
policy on the Israel-Arab peace process would not be appropriate in
Presidential remarks devoted to remembering the Holocaust.

In closing, I would like, once again, to encourage you to take a
first step toward honoring your pledge to remain actively engaged
with Armenian American leaders by hosting a meeting, at your first
opportunity, with our broad-based community leadership.

Sincerely,

[signed]
Kenneth V. Hachikian
Chairman