USA/Armenia/Diaspora politics

[Haykakan]

Re: USA/Armenia/Diaspora politics

Eight former secretary of states wrote a joint letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in opposition to House Resolution 106, which would have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide.

Text of Formers Secretaries of State letter to Speaker Pelosi
September 25, 2007
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515-0508
Dear Madam Speaker:
We are writing to express concern that H. Res. 106 could soon be put to a vote. Passage of the resolution would harm our foreign policy objectives to promote reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia. It would also strain our relations with Turkey, and would endanger our national security interests in the region, including the safety of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
We do not minimize or deny the enormous significance of the horrible tragedy suffered by ethnic Armenian from 1915 to 1923. During our tenures as Secretaries of the State, we each supported Presidential statements recognizing the mass killings and forced exile of Armenians. It has been longstanding U.S. policy to encourage reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia and to urge the government of Turkey to acknowledge the tragedy. We understand the Administration continues to urge the Turkish government to reexamine its history and to encourage both Turkey and Armenia to work towards reconciliation, including normalizing relations and opening the border. There are some hopeful signs already that both parties are engaging each other. We believe that a public statement by the U.S. Congress at this juncture is likely to undermine what has been painstakingly achieved to date.
We must also recognize the important contributions Turkey is making to U.S. national security, including security and stability in the Middle East and Europe. The United States continues to rely on Turkey for its geo-strategic importance. Turkey is an indispensable partner to our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, helping U.S military with access to Turkish airspace, military bases, and the border crossing with Iraq, Turkey is a linchpin in the transshipment of vital cargo and fuel resources to U.S. troops, coalition partners and Iraqi civilians. Turkish troops serve shoulder-to-shoulder with distinction with U.S. and other NATO allies in the Balkans. Turkey is also a transit hub for non-OPEC oil and gas and remains key to our effort s to help the Euro-Atlantic community bolster its energy security by providing alternative supply sources and routes around Russia and Iran.
It is our view that passage of this resolution could quickly extend beyond symbolic significance. The popularly elected Turkish Grand National Assembly might react strongly to a House resolution, as it did to a French National Assembly resolution a year ago. The result could endanger our national security interests in the region, including our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and damage efforts to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey. We strongly urge you to prevent the resolution from reaching the house floor.
Sincerely,

Madeleine K. Albright
James A. Baker III
Warren Christopher
Lawrence S. Eagleburger
Alexander M. Haig, Jr
Henry A. Kissinger
Colin L. Powell
George P. Shultz

http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Colin_Powell

xxxxxs for hire. Devoid of humanity or any other decency. Yet the likes of Vrej1915 and some others on this forum want us to put our trust in them. Compare this with o lets say Russia, which actually uses the G word, has prevented Turkey from attacking Armenia for 90 years, employs 2 million Armenians,... No its not charity but self interest that defines Russian actions but where is the interest of USA in relation to Armenia? Well you can just look at who signed this letter.

[lampron]

Re: USA/Armenia/Diaspora politics

On April 19, 2015, Jake Sullivan, Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy adviser, sent an email to a half dozen senior campaign staffers, including Chairman John Podesta, asking if they should issue a statement on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Sullivan also wanted to know if Clinton would use the term “genocide” as she did as Senator and presidential candidate eight years ago, or will she avoid that term as she did as Secretary of State? Sullivan pointed out that “the White House studiously avoided using ‘genocide’ so far,” and would probably continue to do so. Sullivan wondered whether Clinton’s campaign should proactively issue a statement on the Armenian Genocide or wait until asked to do so by “Armenian groups.” Sullivan ended his email by acknowledging that the Armenian Genocide issue “matters enormously to Armenian-Americans.” Within hours, Podesta suggested that a quotation from Pope Francis acknowledging the Armenian Genocide be included in the genocide statement which ultimately the Clinton Campaign decided not to issue.

http://armenianweekly.com/2016/10/25/wikileaks-reveals-hillary-clintons-email-exchanges-on-armenian-issues/

[Haykakan]

Re: USA/Armenia/Diaspora politics

On April 19, 2015, Jake Sullivan, Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy adviser, sent an email to a half dozen senior campaign staffers, including Chairman John Podesta, asking if they should issue a statement on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Sullivan also wanted to know if Clinton would use the term “genocide” as she did as Senator and presidential candidate eight years ago, or will she avoid that term as she did as Secretary of State? Sullivan pointed out that “the White House studiously avoided using ‘genocide’ so far,” and would probably continue to do so. Sullivan wondered whether Clinton’s campaign should proactively issue a statement on the Armenian Genocide or wait until asked to do so by “Armenian groups.” Sullivan ended his email by acknowledging that the Armenian Genocide issue “matters enormously to Armenian-Americans.” Within hours, Podesta suggested that a quotation from Pope Francis acknowledging the Armenian Genocide be included in the genocide statement which ultimately the Clinton Campaign decided not to issue.
http://armenianweekly.com/2016/10/25...menian-issues/

Quite typical, yet the Armenian lobby has no issue with wasting the contributions made by Armenians.

[lampron]

How hypocritical of Madeleine Albright and William Cohen, former Secretaries of State and Defense, to announce the formation of a task force on prevention of genocide, when two months ago they wrote a letter to the U.S. Congress against a resolution on the Armenian Genocide!

One would have thought that genocide denialists would not be the most qualified people to lead an effort on averting future genocides. Yet, this is exactly what happened last week.

Albright and Cohen shamelessly stood in front of TV cameras at the National Press Club in Washington on November 13 to declare that they are co-chairing a new “Genocide Prevention Task Force.” The other members of the task force are Sen. John Danforth, Sen. Tom Daschle, Amb. Stuart Eizenstat, Michael Gerson, Secretary Dan Glickman, Secretary Jack Kemp, Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, Amb. Tom Pickering, Julia Taft, Vin Weber and General Anthony Zinni. This effort is jointly sponsored by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the United States Institute of Peace. The task force has five working groups dealing with early warning, pre-crisis engagement, preventive diplomacy, military intervention, and international institutions. It is expected to issue its report in December 2008.

Cohen told members of the media with a straight face that the task force is going “to look certainly to the past for lessons” in order to prepare a set of recommendations to the U.S. government on how best to respond to future threats of genocide. He stated that mass violence is “inimical to human behavior, to human decency, [and] to our sense of humanity....We can no longer live in a state of denial or willful indifference.” These bold words are from a man whose company, The Cohen Group, is affiliated with DLA Piper, one of the major lobbying firms hired by the Turkish government, at a cost of $100,000 per month, to deny the facts of the Armenian Genocide.

As soon as the two former high-ranking officials finished delivering their opening remarks at last week’s press conference, they were confronted by skeptical members of the press and Armenian activists who questioned their sincerity and pointed out their hypocrisy. This accusatory exchange was covered extensively by CNN, AFP, AP, andThe Jerusalem Post.

Albright and Cohen were asked by a reporter: “How do you reconcile your work in trying to build a moral American sentiment, an unconditional consensus against genocide, when just very recently both of you signed letters urging America not to recognize the Armenian Genocide?” Albright, forgetting her earlier words about learning from the past, quickly shifted the mission of the group to the future. Carefully avoiding the term “Armenian Genocide,” she acknowledged that “terrible things happened to the Armenians — a tragedy.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harut-sassounian/secretaries-albright-and-_b_73628.html

[Haykakan]

Armenian Weekly

June 28 2017






Armenian Ambassador Says Meeting Between Armenian, U.S. Presidents in the Works

By Weekly Staff on June 28, 2017






WASHINGTON—A meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and the Unites States may take place in the near future, according to Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S. Grigor Hovhannissian. Diplomats from both countries are currently discussing plans to hold the meeting, Hovhannissian told Russian-based Sputnik news.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump

“[We should] organize that meeting, especially now, when Armenia is going through the process of becoming a Parliamentary Republic,” Hovhannissian said. “First, we will organize a meeting at the level of Foreign Ministers to prepare an agenda, and then we will be preparing a meeting of the Presidents,” he added.
No date has yet been set for the meeting between the Foreign Ministers.
http://armenianweekly.com/2017/06/28/meeting-between-armenian-us-presidents-in-the-works/