Category: Main Issues

  • Full text of Azerbaijani Parliament’s appeal to US Congress

    Full text of Azerbaijani Parliament’s appeal to US Congress

    Full text of Azerbaijani Parliament’s appeal to US Congress

    [ 06 Mar 2010 00:50 ] 

    Baku. Elbrus Seyfullaev – APA. Azerbaijani Parliament has released the full text of appeal to US Congress. According to APA, the passage of the draft resolution on the so-called Armenian genocide in the House Committee of Foreign Affairs has caused great concern and rage.

    “This unfair judgment, which is apparent neglect to the historical realities and sacrifice the interests for the Armenian lobby, can be characterized as a step that could create new problems in Asia Minor and Southern Caucasus. We face with an attempt to turn remote historical event, which up to present has not been completely investigated and has not been objectively appraised, into a subject of the political gamble to justify groundless claims of the Armenian nationalists to the neighboring states. The researchers, who remain loyal to the scientific truth, including western scientists, have proved a long ago the nonexistence of any «genocide of Armenians» in the history. Fiction about «genocide of Armenians» – is the outcome of sick imagination based on false documents. The Turkish government has opened the Ottoman Empire-related archives and has invited all researchers, including the Armenian scientist, to get acquainted with the historical documents of the beginning of the XX century. Besides it, Turkish government suggests to establish the joint commission of historians, but the Armenian side rejects judicious scientific polemic thereby the Armenian side openly shows the real face of those who disseminate a legend about «genocide of Armenians».

    The appeal also says that turning down this proposal by Armenian nationalists shows that they are not interested in unveiling the historical truth, and, on the contrary, they are interested in falsification and concealment of the facts: «The objective researches show that early in the XX century the Armenian nationalists unleashed a terror and perpetrate genocide in territory of modern Turkish Republic and Caucasus, as a result more than 2 million innocent Turks and Azerbaijanis were killed. Over the past 18 years Azerbaijani parliament repeatedly appealed to the international organizations and to the parliaments of the world, including US Congress, concerning the crimes like genocide, which Armenian nationalists committed to Azerbaijanis last century, particularly for recognition the genocide committed on February 26, 1992, against the civilians of Azerbaijan city Hojali. Unfortunately, so far USA has not appraised these terrible events, which occurred in the face of all civilized world».

    «A deliberate pro-armenian position is an apparent evidence of the fact that Armenian nationalists’ far-fetched claims on the “genocide” of the beginning of the XX century are accepted but the occupational war against Azerbaijanis is neglected. In such conditions Armenian Republic declares that it’s supporter of establishment of the stability and mutual understanding in the region but in reality, it keeps on holding under occupation 20% of Azerbaijan’s lands and having sentenced one million of Azerbaijanis to the life of refugees and IDPs, Armenia continues gross violation the norms and principles of the international law. There is thought, which got implanted into Azerbaijani society – “the biggest hindrance for settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is application of double standards by world powers, the invader is not named as invader and left unpunished, moreover the occupant is equated to the victim”. Unfair judgment made in the committee House of Representatives of US Congress, the country which is the co-chair of OSCE Minsk group, engaged in conflict solution, hinders to the attainment of peace in the region and can destroy the positive results, reached till now in the course of negotiations. However, we are sure that this decision, which contradicts US interests in the region and damages USA-Turkey and USA-Azerbaijan strategic partnership, will be turned down by the Congress. We hope that US government, which has an image of the democratic country, will do the utmost not to admit passage, which is able to harm to American-Turkish and American-Azerbaijan relations».

  • Was the 1915 killing of Armenians genocide?

    Was the 1915 killing of Armenians genocide?

    with responce from YUKSEL OKTAY

    06 March 2010

    The Question Is Debatable, But It’s Not For The Us Congress To Decide

    by Stephen Kinzer


    Genocide Vote Harms Us-Turkey TiesFor the US house of representatives foreign affairs committee to decide that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks in 1915 constituted genocide, as it did Thursday by a one-vote margin, would be acceptable and even praiseworthy if it were part of a serious historical effort to review all the great atrocities of modern history. But the singling out of Turks for censure, among all the killers of the 20th century, is something quite different. This vote was a triumph of emotion, a victory for ethnic lobbying, and another example of the age-old American impulse to play moral arbiter for the world.

    Turkey recalled its ambassador in Washington immediately after the vote, which was broadcast live on Turkish television. The resolution now goes to the full House of Representatives. Given the pull of moneyed politics, and President Obama’s unwillingness or inability to bring Congress to heel on this issue, as Presidents Bush and Clinton did, it could pass. That would provoke much anger in Turkey, and might weaken the US-Turkish relationship at the precise moment when the US needs to strengthen it.

    In the past few years, Turkey has taken on a new and assertive role in the Middle East and beyond. Turkey can go places, talk to factions, and make deals that the US cannot. Yet it remains fundamentally aligned with western values and strategic goals. No other country is better equipped to help the US navigate through the region’s treacherous deserts, steppes and mountains.

    Would it be worth risking all of this to make a clear moral statement? Perhaps. What emerged from Washington this week, though, was no cry of righteous indignation. Various considerations, including the electoral power of Armenian-Americans, may have influenced members of Congress. It is safe to surmise, however, that few took time to weigh the historical record soberly and seek to place the Ottoman atrocity in the context of other 20th century massacres.

    Two questions face Congress as it considers whether to call the 1915 killings genocide. The first is the simple historical question: was it or wasn’t it? Then, however, comes an equally vexing second question: is it the responsibility of the US Congress to make sensitive judgments about events that unfolded long ago? The first question is debatable, the second is not.

    Congress has neither the capacity nor the moral authority to make sweeping historical judgments. It will not have that authority until it sincerely investigates other modern slaughters – what about the one perpetrated by the British in Kenya during the 1950s, documented in a devastating study that won the 2006 Pulitzer prize? – and also confronts aspects of genocide in the history of the United States itself. Doing this would require an enormous amount of largely pointless effort. Congress would be wiser to recognise that it does not exist to penetrate the vicissitudes of history or dictate fatwas to the world.

    This vote has already harmed US-Turkish relations because it has angered many Turks. If the resolution proceeds through Congress, it will cause more harm. This is lamentable, because declining US-Turkish relations will be bad for both countries and for the cause of regional stability. Just as bad, the vote threatens to upset the fragile reconciliation that has been underway between Turkey and Armenia in recent months.

    In this episode is encapsulated one of the timeless truths of diplomacy. Emotion is the enemy of sound foreign policy; cool consideration of long-term self-interest is always wiser. Congress seems far from realising this. . .

    Genocide ruling harms US-Turkey relations | Stephen Kinzer

    This article was published on guardian.co.uk at 00.28 GMT on Friday 5 March 2010

    =================================================================

    Open Letter to Stephen Kinzer, long time student of Turkish Affairs and the first New York Times Bureau Chief in Istanbul (1995-2000) and a great guy. Thursday 4 March 2009, Flemington, NJ – Saturday 6 March, Washington, NJ

    Your article below was timely and has merits. However, I believe it is time for you to bite the bullet and declare to the world that the events of 1915 can not be labeled as genocide, which I believe you also believe deep in your heart, have but not stated openly in your article. So should Guenther Levy, who wrote an excellent book “Armenian gencide” but rather than stating the positive statement based on all the information presented in his definitive work, he referred to as “Disputed genocide.”. Now, a dozen concerned Turkish-Americans, led by a retired IBM Engineer and flier Sevgin Oktay have published a series of 4 page brochures on the falsifications by a number of Armenian organizations and individuals, which leaves the question to the reader whether it was a genocide or not. I believe it is time for these concerned people and the Turkish-Americans (146,000 according to the new Turkish Ambassador who was recalled to Ankara after the HCFA vote), to stop beating around the bush and face the facts and declare to President Obama, the prime mover of the, that the Armenians fired the first shot, pursued the establishment of a state of their own on lands where they were never the majority through rebellions, took arms against their own government and led uprisings and massacres of Turks, joined the Russian and French Forces even after 1915 when many returned to Turkey from Syria and the USA while hundreds and thousands stayed in the Caucauses, which most Armenians and their blind supporters do not want to talk about.

    Who ever reads your article and other publications, and ponder on the question, they will probably answer, “Yes, it was a genocide”, just like the 23 members out of 46 led by a fanatic of the House Foreign Relations Committee did on March 4, 2009, a dark page on the US Congress history, probably because all their lives, they have been continuously exposed to the Armenian propaganda, who were elated by the one vote win. I am sure all of them must have visited the US Holocaust Museum in WDC which exhibits the fabricated Hitler statement on “Who remembers the Annihilation of Armenians” (visited by 2.5 million visitors every year,) and now the untruthful “Morgenthau Exhibit” at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York”, scheduled to run until the end of 2010, competing with Istanbul as the Cullture Capital of Europe 2010. If they have also read 1915 Ambassador Henry Morgenthau’s “Story Book”, and the Israeli Ambassador to US book on 230 year history of America without mentioning the Turkish contributions, Peter Balakian’s book “The Burning Tigris” and the play, “Beast on the Moon” being stage every year near April 24, how can they not answer “yes” to your question, not knowing the truth.

    Probably the best authority in the world on the Armenian issue is Prof. Dr. Turkkaya Ataov, the retired Prof of International Affairs who has written more than 100 books and hundreds of articles about the Armenian issue and has given confrences all over the world, from the US to England to Australia,  with genuine documents not faked and fabricated ones being used by most Armenian organizations, the last count according to the late Hrant Dink, over 26,000, some of which will be exposed as another brochure by the. I would humbly recommend that Prof. Ataov should appear on US Media and also, instead of asking a similar question on the Armenian issue, “What happened in 1915”, he too should state the truth about the Srmenian revolts that led to the re-location of Armenians, not deportations, as Turkish Ambassador namik tan erroneously stated in the 10 minute CBS program.

    Many individuals and organizations are asking, “What next?” My humble recommendation would be to write to both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not to bring the Resolution to the floor and to President Obama, to stop his support to the Resolution, and to the American people through lectures at Universities (one place would be the March 13, MIT Conference), appearnecs on TV and articels in the media.

    Respectfully,

    Yuksel Oktay

    Open Letter to the Chairman Howard L. Berman and the 46 Members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on, “Battle over History’’, aired by CBS 60 Minute, Feb. 28, 2010

    Part III

    February 28, 2010

    Open Letter to Andy Rooney, the Commentator on CBS 60 Minute Program, on “Battle over History’’, aired by CBS 60 Minute, today, Sunday at 19:00 PM, Feb. 28, 2010

    Andy Rooney,

    CBS 60 Minute Commentator

    New York, NY

    Dear Mr. Rooney,

    Your commentary at the end of the 60 Minute program today was excellent, as usual. You were right in questioning the wisdom of including all those questions in the 2010 Census Form. I don’t know if you watched the entire 60 Minute program, especially the segment called “Battle over History”, the 10 minute segment prepared by E. Goushon and Drew Moughathan, which was full of fabricated stories, distorted facts, and not a good one. In fact, it was a disgrace to TV journalism, in which CBS is good at. In fact, probably the best program on TV is the “Sunday Morning” originated by Charles H Kuralt who would neverallow the showing of a one sided story on his program. Just like you questioned the Cencus Form, I would like to question the allegations in the “Battle of History”, if possible, with your help, which was more like “ Battle over History with Fabrications, Forged Documents, and Armenian Distortion of Facts”

    For years, 60 Minutes has been presenting excellent segments on many subjects that the public has cherished over and over again. I still remember the segment that was presented some years ago on Ahmet Ertegun, a Turkish-American and a music mogul who made Charles Ray famous along with many African-American musicians over the years. He is now buried in a small grave in Uskudar, Istanbul, but his contributions to the American society will never be forgotten.

    The 10 minute segment “Battle of History “, was full of fabrications, forged documents and distorted facts, as a result of which, the truth was lost. In 10 minutes, the entire Turkish nation was convicted of a crime which has never been proven in an International Court. Peter Balakian made a new revelation that 400,000 Armenians died in   , which is a fabrication. Many of the re-located Armenians did arrive in and all of them were given homes, land and money. Armenians were given an option to return to Turkey in 1916 and 1917, and many did, in fact some joining the French forces and fighting against the Ottoman Empire. The descendants of the re-located Armenians who chose to live in Syria and Lebanon make up a large portion of the 8 million Diaspora Armenians. These facts were not mentioned in the presentation.

    Just one site was shown along the Euphrates, claiming that the bones were everywhere, which is questionable after 95 years. Perhaps they were just placed there for the program.  The Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy was not given an opportunity to tell the truth, since he appeared for less than a minute, and erroneouslyreferred to the re-settlement as deportations. The Hitler statement that Peter Balakian loves to state at every occasion is a total fabrication which has been proven to be false. The reference to genocide scholars is also distortion of facts since these people are self appointed individuals without any credentials to pass a judgament on what happened 95 years ago. The murder of Hrant Dink was condemned by everyone in Turkey when 100,000 Turks walked behind his coffin, including this writer.

    The 10 minute segment was broadcast as a propaganda material to influence the 46 members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee before their vote on the fabricated Armenian genocide resolution on March 4, 2010. I will venture to say that, if they watched this segment, they will not believe all the falsifications and vote “NO” to the Resolution. Below is a letter that I sent to the members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and I hope you too will read it.  And I hope you will have a talk with Bob Simon who put this segment on 60 Minutes, tarnishing its reputation. It would be wise if CBS 60 Minute airs “Armenian Revolt”, a documentary made by an American, which tells the truth about the Armenian issue.

    Respectfully.

    Yuksel Oktay

    Concerned American with Turkish Heritage and Past President,

    Federation of Turkish-American Associations, NY (1973)

    Saturday, 27 February 2010

    Washington, NJ

  • Jewish lobby behind U.S. Armenia genocide vote

    Jewish lobby behind U.S. Armenia genocide vote

    Pro-Israel activists manipulated Congress to damage Turkey, says London daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi.

    Jewish lobbyists contrived a U.S. congressional vote that labeled the World War One-era massacre of Armenians by Turkish forces as genocide, a London-based Arabic-language newspaper claimed on Saturday.

    Pro-Israel lobbyists had previously backed Turkey on the issue ? but changed tack in retaliation for Turkish condemnation of Israel’s policies in the Gaza Strip, the Al-Quds Al-Arabi daily said in an editorial, according to Israel Radio reports.

    Israel and Turkey are traditional allies but ties took a downturn in 2009 when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel’s offensive in Gaza, in which some 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed.

    A crisis in diplomatic relations came to a head in January when when Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon publicly humiliated Turkey’s ambassador in front of press cameras.

    In his leading article, Al-Quds Al-Arabi editor Abd al-Bari Atwan curged Erdogan not to give in to the Jewish lobby’s “extortion” tactics.

    Erdogan on Thursday recalled Turkey’s ambassador to Washington after the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-22 to approve the non-binding resolution, clearing it for consideration by the full House.

    “The decision of the Foreign Affairs Committee will not hurt Turkey, but it will greatly harm bilateral relations, interests and vision. Turkey will not be the one who loses,” said Erdogan, speaking at a summit of Turkish businessmen.

    Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said the vote was a boost for human rights.

    The vote calls on President Barack Obama to ensure U.S. policy formally refers to the massacre as genocide, putting him in a tight spot.

    In a telephone call with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Wednesday, Obama emphasized his administration had urged lawmakers to consider the potential damage to efforts to normalize Armenian-Turkish ties, a senior administration official said.

    At a news conference in Costa Rica on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she and Obama, who both supported proposed Armenia genocide resolutions as presidential candidates, had changed their minds because they believed the drive to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia was bearing fruit.

    Turkey, a Muslim secular democracy that plays a vital role for U.S. interests from Iraq to Iran and in Afghanistan and the Middle East, accepts that many Armenians were killed by Ottoman forces but denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to genocide – a term employed by many Western historians and some foreign parliaments.

    Turkey regards such accusations as an affront to its national honor.

    Haaretz

  • History of Armenian Terrorism

    History of Armenian Terrorism

    SHAMIL GURBANOV,
    PROFESSOR,DOCTOR OF PHILOLOGY,
    MEMBER OF THE MILLI MEJLIS OF THE AZERBAIJAN REPUBLIC
    Acts of terrorism of Armenians began from 1896. That year they exploded a post office in Istanbul and caused the death of a number of innocent citizens. This act of terrorism caused hatred in the world community towards Armenian. But the feeling of hatred was not forever. On the contrary, later, that act of terrorism was justified by presenting Armenian people as poor and pitiful. Armenians liked that. In 1905-1907, 1918-1920, 1937, 1948-52 and 1988 they committed acts of terrorism against our nation. During the century we became victims of several open and confident acts of terrorism and exiles. Moreover, I can mention World Wars I and II. During those years Azeris suffered much from the atrocities of the Armenians. But we kept silent every time. We were forced to forget and we forgot everything.
    Many thanks to Mr. Heydar Aliyev, the President of the Azerbaijan Republic. He re-established the memory of our people in respect of the acts of terrorism and repressions. He created possibilities to study a true history.
    Armenians indicate false facts of history in their school-books. They do everything to cherish in the memory of future generation, false facts of history. While dying, Daronyan, famous Armenian writer addressed his people with the words, “Armenian if you saw and did not kill a poisoned snake you could be forgiven, but if you saw and did not kill a Turk you would not be forgiven by any Armenian”.
    These words indicate a wish of our thankless neighbors. We visited the grave of M. A. Rasulzada at the oldest Ankara cemetery. Near, that grave we saw graves of Turkish diplomats killed at their jobs by Armenian terrorists.
    39 Turkish diplomats were killed in different countries from January 27, 1973 to November 19, 1988. Their corpses were delivered to Turkey and they were buried in that cemetery. “Here are the graves of those killed by terrorists at their job places” — these are records written on their memorial monuments.
    I asked Turkish men, as if unaware, whether they knew by which terrorists this was done. “Of course Armenians,”-Yahya Dashdalan answered.
    Well, we can not ask that gentleman to accompany every visitor of this cemetery. We can no ask him to announce to everybody what was done by Armenians. The Turks wrote names of those killed and their dates of death on the memorials. Why not inform everybody about the guilty parties.
    While speaking about our enemies, it is necessary to point out that they teach their babies from their cradles that the Turks are the most severe enemy of Armenian.
    One of the Turkish gentlemen half in a joke but half in a serious way said that by mentioning names of Armenians in the records on memorials of victims would insult the spirits of those victims.
    Another gentleman supported my idea and said: “We had to indicate names of the guilty parties not only on the grave memorials. We should also indicate them in school-books so that our young generations are informed of enemies we met while defending our origin, nation and motherland.”
    A lot of people in our country think the same way. On February 28, 1906 at the meeting held in Tiflis near the Caucasian official Ahmad bay Agayev revealed and condemned the indifferent attitude of authorities towards the action of the “Dashnak” Party. He said: “Thus, there had been a 15 year old armed party. Nobody even in the government tried to prevent their atrocities. This party was even supported. So, we ourselves had to prevent these atrocities.”
    As a way of struggle Ahmad bay considered a suppression of terrorism. Thus, he decided to create “Difai” Party. Ganja was chosen as a motherland for this party. On the back way from Tiflis he stopped in Ganja. There he met with a progressive youth and intellectuals. He delivered a speech in a Mosque full of people. “Dear people of Ganja! We were impressed by last clash between Turks and Armenians. Neither Muslim religion nor humanity can accept such atrocities… Even wild animals did not allow themselves actions which were done by Armenians. There was no similar case in the history”.
    That evening Ahad bay and some intellectuals of Ganja (Alakbar Rafibayli, Alakbar and Alaskar Khasmammadov brothers, doctor Hasan Agayev and Nasib bay Usubbayov held a meeting. They came to a unanimous conclusion that “people had to be mobilized.” They did so and created “Difai”.
    In our 70 years of history and political resources “Difai” was considered as a party with an aim “to cause clashes between nations.” “Difai” increased very quickly. Several days later it was not possible to prevent the dissemination of proclamations calling on revenge. One of those proclamations ran: “The purpose of our party is to establish unity and sincere fraternity among the Caucasian parties. But if “Dashnak” Party continue its aggressive attacks on Muslims they will meet with severe response.”
    Immediately after Armenians felt in panicked and had to conclude a peace agreement. That peace lasted just 10 years. In 1918 Armenians got another beneficial situation.
    I would like to describe one of the scenes of 1906. It is from the memories of Omar Faig. I read a fragment of Omar Faig in Tifiis while preparing it for publication. I memorized this scene in my heart forever. Omar Faig wrote: “While passing across Vorontsov Bridge Turkish porters were thrown into river”. Thrown into water the drowning Turkish porters tried to do their best to survive. They were about to reach a shore but faced gun fire. Porters disappeared. Then the surface of the water was full of blood and corpses. It was the worst picture I had ever seen”.
    Such terrible scenes could be observed in almost all big Caucasian cities. Even women, children and old-aged people were not spared. In comparison with 1918 a tragedy of 1906 was not so terrible. A number of killed or brutally injured Azeris were much more increased in 1918. The situation was very difficult and the Azeris did not have guns. Well armed Armenian soldiers who came back from the Iranian front were concentrated in Baku. Leaders of those soldiers were Armenians. On March 30 the Defense Committee was established with the aim to coordinate the battle. A Committee headed by S. Shaumyan included Japaridze, Korganov, Saakyan, Yolchiyan and others. Baku was devastated within 3 days. This is a fragment from the memories of N. Narimanov: “Even if a Muslim was a bolshevik he was not spared. Dashnaks said that they did not recognize any difference whether a person was a bolshevik or not. If a person is a Muslim he should be killed. They killed everyone they wanted, destroyed and ruined every house they did not like. Using a cover of bolshevism Dashnaks were very brutal against Azeris – both women and men”. 12.000 of Azeri civilian were murdered in Baku, 7.000 in Shamakhi and the same number in Guba and other cities. Atrocities by Armenians were described by witnesses: insulted corpses of 57 Muslim women were found with their ears and noses, sex organs cut off, stomach tore off. During their massacres Armenians entered a house of 80 year old Haji Amir Aliyev and killed his old spouses (60 and 70 years old). They also cut into pieces a 3 year old baby and nailed a 25 year old woman to a wall.
    In this book “History of Azerbaijan Struggle for Independence” Huseyn Baygara wrote: “The massacre of Azeri Turks began in Baku on March 30, 31 and on April 1 disseminated around Shamakhi, Kurdamir, Salyan, Guba and Lankaran. Their next point of aggression was Ganja. They colluded with Armenians from Karabakh, joined forces and moved towards Ganja”.
    Cruelty and brutality of our enemies do not meet the norms of morality and humanity. We should not forget families burnt alive in Gazakh, burnt planes and helicopters in the sky of Garabag, our murdered brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, our countrymen murdered in Khojaly and many others. These memories should always cause our hatred toward enemies.
    Our enemies will not be able to escape our revenge for that genocide. We should have revenge for each burnt village, each destroyed city and each murdered baby. We should try to do our best in this way.

    Azeri genocide

  • Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations

    Barack Obama on the Importance of US-Armenia Relations

    | January 19, 2008

    I am proud of my strong record on issues of concern to the one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage in the United States. I warmly welcome the support of this vibrant and politically active community as we change how our government works here at home, and restore American leadership abroad.

    I am a strong supporter of a U.S.-Armenian relationship that advances our common security and strengthens Armenian democracy. As President, I will maintain our assistance to Armenia, which has been a reliable partner in the fight against terrorism and extremism. I will promote Armenian security by seeking an end to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, and by working for a lasting and durable settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict that is agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding commitment to the principles of democracy and self determination. And my Administration will help foster Armenia’s growth and development through expanded trade and targeted aid, and by strengthening the commercial, political, military, developmental, and cultural relationships between the U.S. and Armenian governments.

    I also share with Armenian Americans – so many of whom are descended from genocide survivors – a principled commitment to commemorating and ending genocide. That starts with acknowledging the tragic instances of genocide in world history. As a U.S. Senator, I have stood with the Armenian American community in calling for Turkey’s acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide. Two years ago, I criticized the Secretary of State for the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, John Evans, after he properly used the term “genocide” to describe Turkey’s slaughter of thousands of Armenians starting in 1915. I shared with Secretary Rice my firmly held conviction that the Armenian Genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion, or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence. The facts are undeniable. An official policy that calls on diplomats to distort the historical facts is an untenable policy. As a senator, I strongly support passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106 and S.Res.106), and as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide.

    Genocide, sadly, persists to this day, and threatens our common security and common humanity. Tragically, we are witnessing in Sudan many of the same brutal tactics – displacement, starvation, and mass slaughter – that were used by the Ottoman authorities against defenseless Armenians back in 1915. I have visited Darfurian refugee camps, pushed for the deployment of a robust multinational force for Darfur, and urged divestment from companies doing business in Sudan. America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that President.

    I look forward, as President, to continuing my active engagement with Armenian American leaders on the full range of issues of concern to the Armenian American community. Together, we will build, in new and exciting ways, upon the enduring ties and shared values that have bound together the American and Armenian peoples for more than a century.

  • Armenia Resolution Won’t Get Full U.S. House Vote, Aide Says

    Armenia Resolution Won’t Get Full U.S. House Vote, Aide Says

    March 06, 2010, 12:01 AM EST

    By Peter S. Green and James Rowley

    March 6 (Bloomberg) — Democratic lawmakers bowed to concerns expressed by the Obama administration and agreed not to schedule a full House vote on a resolution that labels as genocide the killing of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey, a congressional aide said.

    House leaders have no plans at this time for a chamber vote on the measure, which a House committee approved on March 4, the House Democratic leadership aide said yesterday. The aide spoke on the condition of anonymity.

    The resolution passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee on a 23-22 vote. Turkey responded by recalling its ambassador in Washington, Namik Tan, for consultations.

    U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had spoken out against a full House vote on March 4 while attending a conference in Costa Rica. She reiterated yesterday that President Barack Obama’s administration “strongly opposes the resolution.”

    A full House vote would “impede the normalization process between Turkey and Armenia,” State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington yesterday before word surfaced of the leadership’s decision. “The best way for Turkey and Armenia to address their shared past is through ongoing negotiations,” he said.

    The measure says the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of modern-day Turkey, killed 1.5 million ethnic Armenians from 1915 to 1923. It asks the president to ensure that U.S. foreign policy reflects “appropriate understanding” of the atrocity and “the consequences of the failure to realize a just resolution.”

    Similar Recall

    Turkey, a U.S. ally and NATO member, had recalled its U.S. ambassador for a brief period in protest to a similar resolution passed by a House committee in 2007. That measure never came up for a full House vote.

    Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on his Web site that the March 4 committee vote was “one-sided and remote from historical realities,” and would hurt talks with Armenia.

    “We’ve worked at every level with the American administration on a variety of issues and we’ve always supported Mr. Obama’s vision of peace,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in Ankara yesterday. “We don’t expect this contribution of ours to be sacrificed to a few local political games.”

    The resolution showed a lack of “strategic vision” on the part of U.S. lawmakers who supported it, Davutoglu said.

    Iranian Trade

    Turkey has been expanding trade with Iran and Obama in December called the country an “important player” in efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program.

    Turkey’s border and its trade relationship with Iran makes Turkish support vital for U.S. efforts to use sanctions to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, said Bulent Aliriza, Director of the Turkey Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

    While the Armenia-related resolution came from Congress and not the administration, Turkey may not see any difference, further hampering U.S. efforts to impose sanctions on Iran, said Henri Barkey, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.

    “What is clearly very likely is that on Iran we are going to get less cooperation from them,” Barkey said before the aide disclosed that the resolution won’t get a full House vote.

    Turkey asserts that the resolution hurts Turkish and Armenian efforts to renew diplomatic relations that were broken over Armenia’s military intervention in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno- Karabakh region following the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union.

    Clinton’s Intervention

    Turkey and Armenia agreed in October to renew relations after Clinton helped the countries overcome a last-minute dispute before a signing ceremony in Zurich. Under the accords, which are waiting to be approved by Turkey’s parliament, a historical commission would investigate the killings.

    After the French parliament in 2006 approved legislation making it criminal to deny that a genocide took place, Turkey said France had done “irreparable damage” to relations between the two countries.

    The chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America, a lobbying group in Washington, praised the House committee shortly after it passed its genocide resolution. “You cannot have a relationship or a reconciliation based upon lies,” Kenneth Hachikian said in an interview after the vote. “Turkey can’t come to the table and say let’s reconcile but we deny what the rest of the world acknowledges.”

    The House resolution noted that England, France and Russia called the killings a crime against humanity at the time, and that Turkey’s own government indicted the leaders of the massacres after World War I.

    –With assistance from Hans Nichols in Washington and Steve Bryant in Ankara. Editors: Don Frederick, Mike Millard.

    -0- Mar/06/2010 05:00 GMT

    To contact the reporters on this story: Peter S. Green in Washington at [email protected]; James Rowley in Washington at [email protected]

    To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jim Kirk at [email protected]

    ==========================


    https://www.economist.com/united-states/2010/03/05/past-imperfect-present-tense

    The Armenian genocide


    Past imperfect, present tense

    Mar 5th 2010 | NEW YORK
    From Economist.com

    Congress reconsiders America’s official position on the Armenian genocide

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    TWO questions faced an American congressional panel on Thursday March 5th as it considered the mass killings of Armenians during and after the first world war by forces of the Ottoman Empire. First, was it genocide? The historical debate is as hot, and unsettled, as ever. Armenians continue to insist that it was the first genocide of the twentieth century, while Turks call the killings merely part of the chaos of the break-up of empire.
    But the second question on the minds of congressmen in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives was more urgent. What is more important, fidelity to history or concern for the present? The vote took place as warming relations between Turkey and Armenia have cooled again and those between Turkey and America are under increasing strain over Iran, Israel and other affairs in the region. Turkish diplomats and politicians gave warning before the vote that the consequences would be felt across the range of issues of shared concern to the two countries. In the end the panel narrowly decided against pragmatism and chose to set straight the historical records. A resolution recognising the killings as genocide was sent to the House by a vote of 23 to 22.
    When the same House committee passed a “genocide” resolution in 2007 the White House urged that the vote be scrapped. But this year, it had come with a twist; Barack Obama had promised during his election campaign to recognise the event as genocide. But before the vote his advisers said that while he acknowledges a genocide personally, he urged unsuccessfully that official interpretation be left to the parties involved. Congress is far more sensitive to lobbying than the president and to small but highly motivated groups of voters. Lobbyists working for both Armenians and Turks had been active before the vote and Armenians are concentrated in several Californian districts.
    But no fashioner of foreign policy–among whom the president is by far the most important–can ignore the strategic importance of Turkey. It is a vital American ally and has the second-biggest army in NATO. The country is home to an important American air base and is a crucial supply route for America’s forces in Iraq. Relations were difficult even before the beginning of the war in Iraq in 2003. The mildly Islamist government denied the Americans the ability to open a second front in Iraq through Turkey. Turkey’s relationship with Israel has deteriorated too. Israel’s two recent wars, in Lebanon and Gaza, have outraged Turkish public opinion. Mr Obama’s more even-handed approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict has improved America’s reputation in Turkey, but not by much.
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    Turkey itself is caught between forces that make the Armenia issue potentially dangerous. The country’s secular, Western-oriented politicians, among others, have been discouraged by the strict terms offered by the European Union for eventual Turkish membership. In part as a result there has been a gradual realignment in Turkish foreign policy towards its more immediate neighbours. Turkey’s government seeks peaceful relations with countries at its borders, which has meant some cosying up to Iran, despite the fact that most of Turkey’s NATO allies are pushing for more sanctions against the Islamic republic over its alleged efforts to obtain nuclear weapons.
    The vote comes at a sensitive time, too, for Turkey’s relations with Armenia. The pair have been at odds since Turkey closed the border in 1993, during Armenia’s war with Turkey’s ethnic cousins in Azerbaijan. Last year, protocols were agreed that foresaw an establishment of diplomatic relations and an opening of the border. But Armenia’s highest court then declared that the protocols were not in line with Armenia’s constitutionally mandated policy that foreign affairs conform to the Armenian view of the genocide. Turkey responded with fury and the protocols were endangered. The American vote will anger Turkey further and perhaps make it even more inclined to turn away from Europe, America and Armenia in favour of its Islamic neighbours.
    One hope is that Turkish anger will subside if, as happened in 2007, the House leadership stops the resolution from reaching a full vote. It may do so again. Turkey recalled its ambassador after Thursday’s vote just as in 2007. The Turkish government, in a spat with the country’s nationalist army, may play the foreign-insult card to bolster its domestic strength. But ultimately the Turks are unlikely to weaken their relationship with America lightly.