By Mihran Toumajan,
LOS ANGELES, CA – On Wednesday, April 17, 2019, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Southern California Regional Council (SCRC) member Jim Melikian and Assembly Western Region Director Mihran Toumajan were honored to meet in Los Angeles with a long-time friend of Armenian Americans and steadfast supporter of strong U.S.-Armenia relations, the senior U.S. Senator of Rhode Island and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI).
Well known as “The Popcorn Man,” Melikian is an old and dear friend of Senator Reed, and accompanied the senator to a Los Angeles area event on Wednesday evening, which also featured U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA).
Among a plethora of matters discussed with Senator Reed, Melikian and Toumajan thanked the senator for being an original co-sponsor of S.Res.150, the bi-partsan Armenian Genocide resolution recently introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and co-authored with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). At this juncture, there are 15 co-sponsors of S.Res.150, including Senator Schumer and Senator Peters.
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 non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.