Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:
PRESS RELEASE
April 10, 2009
Contact: Michael A. Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER HASTERT JOINS TURKEY’S DENIAL LOBBY
Washington, DC – Turkey has decided to call on additional Washington
insiders to do its bidding. The Turkish government has hired former
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) to its team of lobbyists as April 24
approaches.
The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) reported that the latest
move by Turkey is part of its continuing campaign to pressure President
Barack Obama, his Administration and the U.S. Congress to sweep history
under the rug.
"Given the current genocide in Darfur and the continued denial of the
Armenian Genocide, the only way to break the vicious cycle of genocide
is to unequivocally affirm the past, and in so doing, prevent future
genocides," stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "This is
change we were promised and this is the change we expect," Ardouny
added.
In 2000, when the Armenian Genocide resolution (H. Res. 596) was
considered in Congress, then Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert said,
"I support this resolution and I supported bringing it to the floor… I
believe it would have enjoyed the support of a bipartisan majority of
the House of Representatives," adding, "I believe Armenian-Americans
have a right to expect their Congress to speak out." H. Res. 596 was
ultimately withdrawn for a vote on the floor at the request of President
Bill Clinton.
This April 24, when President Barack Obama issues his presidential
statement commemorating the 94th anniversary for the Armenian Genocide,
the Assembly fully expects him to honor repeated commitments and affirm
the Armenian Genocide.
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 501(c) (3)
tax-exempt membership organization.
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