ASSEMBLY CONTINUES TO RALLY SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly) continues to rally support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution,
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Armenian Caucus
Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) stated that they expected consideration of
H.Res. 296, the Armenian Genocide Resolution, to take place next week.
In an interview with NPR, House Foreign
Affairs Committee Chairman Engel noted that in addition to sanctioning Turkey
for its actions in Northern Syria, a bill on the Armenian Genocide was also
under consideration.
"So we're going to have a Turkey
sanctions bill and we're going to have an Armenian Genocide bill. Both of which
I'm sure the Government of Turkey is not happy with, but then again we're not
happy with the Government of Turkey,” Chairman Engel said.
In a Helsinki Commission hearing this
afternoon, Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Pallone also indicated that the Armenian
Genocide resolution was “very likely” to be considered next week.
“I know that might not seem to be the
topic today, but I think it’s also something that needs to be done in order to
talk about the terrible history that Armenians faced over a hundred years ago,”
Pallone stated.
This past week, Representative Anna G.
Eshoo (D-CA) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter urging support of the resolution,
as did Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) calling for its
immediate passage.
H.Res. 296 was introduced this April by
Reps. Schiff and Bilirakis along with Reps. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Peter
King (R-NY), and Jackie Speier (D-CA), and has 112 co-sponsors to date. During
the Assembly’s 2019 National Advocacy Conference last month, Armenian Americans
from across the U.S. met with Members of Congress and urged its adoption.
Congress has also been calling out
President Erdogan for his violence against the Kurds and Christian minorities
in northern Syria this month, and Members have drawn parallels between the
current Turkish government’s actions and the Ottoman Empire’s atrocities
against Armenians and other minority populations in 1915.
Albio Sires (D-NJ) stated: “These
actions are particularly concerning given Turkey’s historical precedent of
eliminating minority groups that it perceives as a threat, as it did during the
Armenian Genocide.”
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) said: “100 years
ago, 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered in what is now Turkey. For decades,
the US has refused to officially acknowledge that first modern genocide out of
fear of alienating Turkey. Clearly, it’s past time we stop worrying about
Turkey’s feelings & pass H.Res. 296.”
“Not only should we have sanctions
against Turkey. It’s also time that we formally recognize the Armenian
genocide,” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) said on CNN.
“This latest assault on vulnerable
ethnic groups demonstrates the need for Congress to unequivocally affirm the
Armenian Genocide and adopt the resolutions pending in the House and Senate,”
Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny said. “In order to prevent future
genocides, we must not allow Turkey to continue to export its denial of the
genocide and try to erase America's role in helping save the survivors,” he
added.
Established in 1972, the Armenian
Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization
promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly
is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
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NR# 2019-063
Available online: https://armenian-assembly.org/2019/10/22/armenian-assembly-continues-to-rally-support-for-armenian-genocide-resolution/