July 30, 2009
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to you with our concerns about Turkish backpedaling on the
agreed upon roadmap to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia.
On April 22, 2009, just two days before the 94th commemoration of the
Armenian Genocide, the Department of State released the following
statement:
The United States welcomes the statement made by Armenia and Turkey on
normalization of their bilateral relations. It has long been and remains
the position of the United States that normalization should take place
without preconditions and within a reasonable timeframe. We urge Armenia
and Turkey to proceed according to the agreed framework and roadmap. We
look forward to working with both governments in support of
normalization, and thus promote peace, security and stability in the
whole region.
Two days later, instead of recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the
Administration opted to focus on this new roadmap to Armenian-Turkish
normalization. “I also strongly support the efforts by Turkey
and Armenia to normalize their bilateral relations,†you wrote.
“Under Swiss auspices, the two governments have agreed on a
framework and roadmap for normalization. I commend this progress, and
urge them to fulfill its promise.â€
While the Government of Armenia remains committed to this roadmap and
has long offered to establish ties with Turkey without preconditions,
Turkeyâ€TMs public statements and actions since April 24th stand in
sharp contrast to this agreement and undermine U.S. policy that
normalization take place without preconditions.
On May 13, 2009, Prime Minister Erdogan publically conditioned
normalization of relations with Yerevan on Azerbaijanâ€TMs approval
of a future settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that fully meets
Bakuâ€TMs satisfaction. “I want to repeat once more that
until the occupation ends, the border gates [with Armenia] will remain
closed,†Erdogan told the Azeri Parliament.
On June 17, 2009, EU South Caucasus Envoy Peter Semneby said Turkey had
taken “tactical steps backwards†in the normalization
process with Armenia.
It would appear that Turkey, in an effort to block U.S. recognition of
the Armenian Genocide, agreed to a roadmap it did not intend to uphold.
Therefore, we urge your Administration to separate the issues of
normalization and genocide recognition. We hope that renewed efforts
and focused resources from the Administration can be utilized to nurture
the Armenia-Turkey normalization process without preconditions and
within a reasonable timeframe, and continue to remain strongly
supportive of your stated campaign policy to officially recognize the
Armenian Genocide.
Sincerely,
Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Joe Baca (D-CA), Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Shelley
Berkley (D-NV), Howard Berman (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Bruce
Braley, (D-IA), John Campbell, (R-CA), Lois Capps (D-CA), Michael
Capuano (D-MA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jerry Costello
(D-IL), Joe Courtney (D-CT), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Peter DeFazio
(D-OR), Steve Driehaus (D-OH), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Chaka Fattah (D-PA),
Bob Filner (D-CA), Barney Frank (D-MA), Elton Gallegly (R-CA), Scott
Garrett (R-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rush Holt
(D-NJ), Michael Honda (D-CA), Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL), Patrick Kennedy
(D-RI), Dale Kildee (D-MI), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), James Langevin (D-RI),
Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sander Levin (D-MI), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Frank
LoBiondo (R-NJ), Daniel Lungren (R-CA). Stephen Lynch (D-CA), Carolyn
Maloney (D-NY), Edward Markey (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Thaddeus
McCotter (R-MI), James McGovern (D-MA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA), Candice
Miller (R-MI), Walt Minnick (D-ID), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard
Neal (D-CA), Devin Nunes (R-CA), John Olver (D-MA) Payne, Donald (D-NJ),
Gary Peters (D-MI), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Peter
Roskam (R-IL), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Edward Royce (R-CA), Bobby Rush
(D-IL) Paul Ryan (R-WI), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD)
James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ),
Mark Souder (R-IN), Zack Space (D-OH), Jackie Speier (D-CA), John
Tierney (D-MA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Niki Tsongas
(D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Walz (D-MN) Henry Waxman (D-CA),
Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA).