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BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
A group of House members, traditionally and vocally opposing
Congressional resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide,
wrote a letter to the presidents of Armenia and Turkey
expressing their support for what they called “lasting
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement.”
These notorious Genocide deniers representatives Robert Wexler,
a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee (D-Fla.), Ike
Skelton (D-MO), the Chairman of the House Armed Service
Committee, John Murtha (D-Penn.), Chairman of the House
Subcommittee on Defense Appropriations, and Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.),
Co-chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in
Europe, are the lead signatories of the letter.
"As members of Congress who agree that lasting Armenian-Turkish
rapprochement should be a top priority for the United States,
please know we are ready to assist your nations efforts to
normalize relations and build a better future for generations of
Armenians and Turks," the representatives wrote in the letter.
"It is essential that the building blocks of trust and
cooperation are established between Armenia and Turkey to heal
open wounds, mend broken hearts and create a better future for
both nations and peoples,"
"This process is difficult and at times painful, but we remain
hopeful that ongoing bilateral engagement will lead to a
positive breakthrough that forever changes the dynamics of the
region and opens the door to new possibilities and brighter
futures for Armenia and Turkey," they added.
The objective of this letter is to divert attention from H.Res.
252, which was introduced by representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)
and George Radanovich (R-Calif.), to properly recognize the
Armenian Genocide.
On the eve of President Obama's planned visit to Turkey and
Turkish government's efforts to shift the focus from Genocide
recognition to the so-called Turkish-Armenian rapprochement,
this letter goes on record as an almost organic follow-up to
Turkish propaganda efforts and its current posturing on Capitol
Hill.
This effort should be viewed as nothing more than an insult to
the Armenian-American community, whose history is being summed
up as an effort to “mend broken hearts” while at the same time
fueling the cycle of Genocide.
It no surprise that the Turkish and Azeri press hailed this
effort by prominently placing it on their Web sites. It is also
a bit discomforting that the Armenian press, similarly,
trumpeted this development without providing proper perspective
to their readers.
The opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and establishing of
diplomatic relations should not be confused with the imperative
to recognize the Armenian Genocide. One has nothing to do with
the other and the effort by the aforementioned members of the
House should be deplored as a cheap effort to water down the
Genocide issue and compare apples with oranges.
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