Washington Archives

Busy Schedule: Armenian president to visit Washington, Moscow this week

May 4, 2015 By administrator

President Serzh Sargsyan will visit the capitals of the United States and Russia this week to take part in different events, Armenian officials said last week.

Eduard Sharmazanov, the spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, confirmed on April 30 that Sargsyan will be in Washington on May 7. The representative of the party led by Sargsyan did not specify, however, what meetings the head of state will hold in the United States and whether his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama is planned. He said the presidential administration would come up with additional details later.

Earlier, it was reported that in the U.S. Sargsyan will take part in a religious ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. In particular, he is expected to attend an ecumenical memorial service that will take place at Washington’s National Cathedral on May 7.

According to the website of the steering committee of the National Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, the service will be led by the two supreme heads of the Armenian Apostolic Church, His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and His Holiness Aram I Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia. The ceremony is expected to be attended by members of the U.S. Congress and U.S. diplomats.

On May 8, President Sargsyan is expected to be in Moscow for a meeting of the Council of the Eurasian Economic Union and the next day, May 9, the Armenian head of state is scheduled to attend a large military parade in Red Square dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Kurds to discuss self-determination at White House meetings

May 3, 2015 By administrator

By Yerevan Saeed

Kurdish President’s Chief of Staff, Fuad Hussein.

WASHINGTON DC—The question of Kurdish self-determination and the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) will dominate talks between the Kurdish delegation led by President Masoud Barzani and American officials in Washington, said the Kurdish President’s Chief of Staff, Fuad Hussein. Report Rudaw

“The question of self-determination is a just right of the Kurds and how Kurdistan’s self-determination is to be handled will certainly be discussed,” Hussein said. “Kurds have their own vision for the area, but we will see how the Americans view it, too.”

Hussein who added that Barzani will meet with US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday, said that for Erbil the war against ISIS is a priority because, “as long as ISIS remains, there will be threats on Kurdistan and the region,”

Hussein said that the war against ISIS and the active role of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces against this radical group would also be the highlight of Tuesday’s meetings in the White House.

Brett H. McGurk, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy to the Global anti-ISIS Coalition and other senior State Department officials received President Barzani and his delegation that includes Peshmerga Minister Mustafa Sayid Qadir, Foreign Relations Minister Falah Mustafa and National Security Advisor Masour Barzani.

Turkey in panic mode: Critical visit: Chavushoglu leaving for US amid genocide concerns

April 15, 2015 By administrator

Following Pope Francis’s statement on the Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s foreign minister is embarking on a trip to the United States for talks in an effort to prevent President Barack Obama from using ‘genocide’ in his April 24 address.

Commenting on Mehmet Chavushoglu’s plan, the Turkish Radikal describes it as a critical visit. The publication says that the Turkish official will invest his best efforts in preventing the US leader from repeating the Pope’s remark characterizing the 1915 killings of Armenians as genocide.

At meetings held earlier, the Turkish side warned of possible negative implications of the use of ‘genocide’ by President Obama.

The issue will now be on the agenda of Chavushoglu’s meetings with Susan Rice, a foreign policy advisor to Secretary of State John Kerry.

The Turkish publication has pointed to three possible scenarios that would cause new shifts in the US-Turkey relations.

1) The federal government’s opinion, which determines the US foreign policy, will become a powerful tool to rely on in the Genocide trials under way in the country’s courts;

2) Turkey will lose the restitution cases in case it the United States declares it a genocide perpetrator;

3) Obama’s move will serve as an example for other countries, pushing them to active efforts.

Turkish Leaders Eye Washington As Genocide Bill Gains Momentum

March 26, 2015 By administrator

Turkey’s Parliament Speaker Says Armenia Hampering Bi-Lateral Relations
WASHINGTON—A week after the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution was introduced in Congress, a coterie of top-level Turkish leaders are eying the nation’s capital in hopes of dissuading lawmakers from advancing the bill to a vote.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will visit Washington before April 24, said ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç, according to Hurriyet Daily News.

Meanwhile Turkish Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek was in Washington Tuesday where he blamed Armenia for hampering Turkey-Armenia relations during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

During his speech, titled “Turkey-U.S. Relations in the 21st Century,” Çiçek said while Turkey is “approaching Armenia with candidness in an effort to resolve the 1915 incidents,” Yerevan focuses on the events to hamper the normalization process between the two countries, reported the Anadolou News Agency.

“We see that Armenia chooses to focus on intensifying its anti-Turkey events organized within the concept of the centenary of the 1915 incidents, rather than carrying the normalization process further on the path towards April 24. This is despite all the well-intentioned initiatives coming from our country,” said Çiçek.

He said there was “no change” in Turkey’s stance toward normalizing relations with Armenia, adding there was still hope for it to improve.

“The condolences messages and statements about these issues by our president and prime minister are important steps taken in this way,” Çiçek said, referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s now infamous message issued in April 2014.

“We want the exploitation [of the Armenian Genocide issue] to be removed and for peace to be supported by enlightening historical facts. We are ready to give support to any kind of research,” he added.

However, in his remarks, Çiçek neglected to mention that Turkey has pre-conditioned the signing of the Turkey-Armenia Protocols on a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that is beneficial to Azerbaijan.

The Armenian National Committee of America on Tuesday reported that a broad spectrum of veteran and freshmen House Members are adding their voices to the global call for truth and justice, as support for passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.154) continues to grow.

Representatives Robert Dold (R-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), along with 40 other Members of the House of Representatives on March 18 introduced the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution. This bipartisan resolution calls upon the President to work toward equitable, constructive, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution will also establish a fair, just, and comprehensive international record of this crime against humanity.

“We strongly support this new bipartisan approach to promoting regional peace, protecting Armenia, and preventing future atrocities,” said Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian at the time of the bill’s introduction

“This innovative, justice-based initiative builds upon the U.S. record of past Armenian Genocide recognition by calling for a new U.S. policy – one that reflects our American values and also recognizes that our national interests will be served by Turkey ending its obstruction of a truthful and just international resolution of this crime,” added Hamparian.

WASHINGTON: Over 40 House Members Introduce Bipartisan Resolution to Recognize Genocide

March 18, 2015 By administrator

Congressional hold press conference to introduce Genocide resolution

WASHINGTON–Representatives Robert Dold (R-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), along with 40 other Members of the House of Representatives on Wednesday introduced the Armenian Genocide Truth and Justice Resolution. This bipartisan resolution calls upon the President to work toward equitable, constructive, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgement of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide. The resolution will also establish a fair, just, and comprehensive international record of this crime against humanity.

This year, 2015, marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide – a systematic and deliberate annihilation campaign launched by the government of the Ottoman Empire against its Armenian population which left 1.5 million Armenians dead and millions more displaced. While the Armenian Genocide has been recognized by more than twenty nations including Canada, Italy, Sweden, France, Argentina and Russia, as well as the European Parliament, it has not been formally recognized by the U.S. Congress in decades and has not been recognized by President Barack Obama.

“Denial of the Armenian Genocide undermines foundations for durable peace and security, making future atrocities more likely,” said Rep. Robert Dold. “As the greatest force for human dignity in the world, the United States has an obligation to send an unequivocal message that we will never forget those that were lost, nor shall we tolerate any country that hides behind bully tactics to shroud violations of human rights.”

“One hundred years ago, one and a half million Armenian men, women and children were deliberately murdered in the first genocide of the 20th Century – these facts are indisputable,” said Rep. Adam Schiff. “And on this important anniversary and while there are still survivors among us, we in Congress and the President have an opportunity and an obligation to send a strong message that we will never forget those who were lost, and we will call this crime against humanity what it was, genocide. We feel a powerful sense of urgency and the profound call of moral duty to recognize the Armenian Genocide unequivocally and without delay.”

“One hundred years after the Genocide, the sense of loss and pain is still strong as many in our community have a direct connection to someone who was unable to escape,” said Rep. David Valadao. “While those impacted by the Genocide are always in our hearts, let us take an extra moment to remember the two million Armenians whose lives were lost.”

“As we recognize the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we remember the one and a half million Armenians who were slaughtered by Ottoman Turks,” said Rep. Frank Pallone. “Now is the time for the United States government to do the moral thing and recognize these atrocities for what they are—genocide. While we mark 100 years since this horrible act of violence we also recommit ourselves to the work of speaking out against oppression and senseless violence. Today, I join my colleagues in remembering the victims and paying homage to the Armenian people who, for thousands of years, have shown their perseverance and strength in the face of great challenges,” said Congressman Frank Pallone.

The full text of the resolution, introduced today during a press conference on Capitol Hill, reads:

Calling on the President to work toward equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.

Whereas the Obama Administration has, since early 2009, sought to improve Armenian-Turkish relations through diplomatic efforts to lift the Republic of Turkey’s blockade of Armenia and facilitate an end to Ankara’s refusal to establish diplomatic relations with Yerevan;

Whereas at the start of this process, President Barack Obama had, on April 6, 2009, voiced the United States Government’s expectation that Armenia-Turkey dialogue would `bear fruit very quickly’, but that since then, the Obama Administration has commended Armenia’s participation in this dialogue while holding Turkey largely responsible for the lack of results from this process, with the Secretary of State noting, on June 4, 2012, that, on this matter, `the ball remains in Turkey’s court.’;

Whereas on April 24, 2013, President Barack Obama stated, `A full, frank, and just acknowledgment of the facts is in all of our interests. Nations grow stronger by acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past, thereby building a foundation for a more just and tolerant future.’;

Whereas the Republic of Turkey, rather than acknowledging and reckoning with painful elements of the past, has escalated its international campaign of Armenian Genocide denial, maintained its blockade of Armenia, and increased its pressure on the small but growing Turkish civil society movement acknowledging the Armenian Genocide and seeking justice for this systematic campaign of destruction of millions of Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Pontians, Syriacs, and other Christians upon their biblical-era homelands;

Whereas the United States is on record as having officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, in the United States Government’s May 28, 1951, written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, through President Ronald Reagan’s April 22, 1981, Proclamation No. 4838, and by Congressional legislation, including House Joint Resolution 148 adopted on April 8, 1975, and House Joint Resolution 247 adopted on September 10, 1984;

Whereas even prior to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the United States has a record of having sought to justly and constructively address the consequences of the Ottoman Empire’s intentional destruction of the Armenian people, including through Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 adopted on February 9, 1916, Senate Resolution 359 adopted on May 11, 1920, and President Woodrow Wilson’s Decision of the President of the United States of America Respecting the Frontier between Turkey and Armenia, Access for Armenia to the Sea, and the Demilitarization of Turkish Territory Adjacent to the Armenian Frontier, dated November 22, 1920;

Whereas President Barack Obama entered office having stated his `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’, affirmed his record of `calling for Turkey’s acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide’, and pledged that `as President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide’; and

Whereas the United States national interests in the establishment of equitable, constructive, stable, and durable relations between Armenians and Turks cannot be meaningfully advanced by circumventing or otherwise seeking to avoid materially addressing the central political, legal, security, and moral issue between these two nations, Turkey’s denial of truth and justice for the Armenian Genocide: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives calls on the President to work toward equitable, constructive, stable, and durable Armenian-Turkish relations based upon the Republic of Turkey’s full acknowledgment of the facts and ongoing consequences of the Armenian Genocide, and a fair, just, and comprehensive international resolution of this crime against humanity.

Armenia president, Karekin II and Aram I to visit Washington in May

March 12, 2015 By administrator

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I will visit the United States in May for the events dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

The events will commence in Washington on May 7 and will last three days, the Voice of America Armenian service reported. The events are organized by the committee set up by the Armenian community, the church and Armenia’s Embassy in Washington.

Armenian Genocide Centennial in D.C.: Events Proceeding at Top Speed

March 11, 2015 By administrator

By Florence Avakian on March 11, 2015

Mark Geragos to MC banquet

WASHINGTON—Preparations for the Armenian Genocide Centennial commemorations, slated to take place in Washington, D.C., from May 7-9, are proceeding with speed as details emerge daily. The unique event will present a united Armenian-American community, bolstered by dedicated supporters from the American and worldwide religious, diplomatic, and governmental fields.

The commemoration is the work of the Armenian Dioceses and the Armenian Prelacies in the United States working together on all levels, including organizational and fundraising efforts.

Leading the three-day commemoration will be the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I. This will be their first appearance together following the inspiring ceremony on April 23 in Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia, which will anoint the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide as saints.

Also attending the commemoration will be Armenian President Serge Sarkisian. President Barak Obama and members of Congress have been issued special invitations by both the National Council of Churches and the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops.

Appreciation, unity, awareness, revival

The weekend will begin at Washington’s famed National Cathedral on Thursday evening, May 7 at 7 p.m., with Catholicos Karekin II and Catholicos Aram I jointly leading clergy of the Armenian Church and heads of other faiths in prayers of remembrance, respect, unity, and revival. The keynote speaker in the cathedral will be the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Rev. Olav Fyske Tviet.

On Friday evening, May 8, beginning at 8 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, a special program entitled, “A Journey through 100 Years of Armenian Music,” will be presented. A group of compositions, both classical and contemporary by the beloved Komitas Vartabed, framed especially for the Genocide Centennial, will be presented. A surprise grand finale awaits the presentation.

Among the acclaimed musicians taking part are the renowned Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia. Also performing will be celebrated sopranos Isabel Bayrakdarian and Hasmik Papian, pianists Sahan Arzruni and Serouj Khradjian, violinists Levon Chilingirian, Ara Gregorian, and Ida Kavafian, cellist Alexander Chaushian, and clarinetist Narek Arutunyan.

On the morning of Sat., May 9, starting at 10 a.m. at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which holds 3,000 seats, Catholicos Karekin II and Catholicos Aram I will lead a magnificent rendering of the Holy Badarak (Divine Liturgy), sung by more than 150 members of choir representatives from Armenian churches in the United States. The choir will be conducted by New York’s St. Vartan Cathedral Choir Director Maestro Khoren Mekanejian, with St. Vartan Cathedral Dean, the Very Rev. Fr. Mamigon Kiledjian, accompanying on the organ.

“A Time to Give Thanks” will be the theme of the banquet taking place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Saturday evening, May 9, starting with a reception at 6 p.m. Those dedicated individuals and institutions that helped and supported the Armenians in the past, and the present, will be honored. The master of ceremonies for this auspicious event will be the well-known California lawyer Mark Geragos. Among the evening’s musical performers will be the Zulal Acapella Trio. Entertainment activities for children will be provided during the banquet.

Throughout the three-day weekend, a number of related events will take place, including a tour and a lecture at the Library of Congress, and a tour of the American Indian Museum. There will also be a series of workshops, films, and exhibits throughout Washington and at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.

For hotel and event reservations, visit www.armeniangenocidecentennial.org.

Washington, in addition to sanctions against government of Azerbaijan, calls for boycotting European games in Baku

December 16, 2014 By administrator

At the forum “Can US sanctions help the Azerbaijani dissidents?”, organized on December 13 in Washington by the organization of “American Azerbaijanis for Democracy (AZAD), for the first time was toughly raised the issue on sanctions against Azerbaijani officials that were involved in human rights violation and freedoms in Azerbaijan. Commenting on the results of the forum for the Azerbaijani service of the “Voice of America» (VOA) the organizers and participants summarized the causes and steps for operating the sanctions, the Azerbaijani news agency “Turan” reports.

As it is noted in the article, the chairman of AZAD Elmar Shakhtakhtinski said the forum sends a message to Azerbaijani authorities that the violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms as well such an attitude towards their people will receive a corresponding response. “We wanted to make it clear that the policy of official Baku is leading not to a rapprochement with the West but rather with authoritarian regimes,” said Shakhtakhtinski.

David Kramer, the former head of the human rights organization “Freedom House”, present director of the Human Rights and Democracy at the institute of McCain told the VOA, that the last massive pressure on the opposition, the arrest of journalist Khadija Ismayilova has caused serious concern in the United States, and therefore in February, after the holidays, at a congressional hearing the human rights topic in Azerbaijan will be important.

“I’m in favor of targeted sanctions, such as non-issuance of visas and freezing of bank accounts of those involved in human rights abuses. These steps are intended to release political prisoners and to stop the persecution of opponents,” Kramer said.
As stated in the article, Kramer also voiced another way to show pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities – a call for a boycott of the first European Olympic Games in Baku in 2015. “We must make sure that these games do not become a grand event for Aliyev with participation of European leaders,” he said.

Source: Panorama.am

Syrian Kurdish PYD leader Muslim to meet US officials in Washington, disturb Ankara

November 28, 2014 By administrator

Salih Muslim, the head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) — the main Kurdish group in Syria — will soon meet with US officials in Washington, D.C., Today’s Zaman has learned.

Muslim’s high-level meetings in the US capital will disturb Ankara because Turkey considers the PYD to be an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

That Muslim will meet with top US officials is another visible sign of the deepening fault lines between Turkey and the US. The US airdropped weapons, ammunition and other aid in late October to support the PYD, which had been putting up a strong fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the Syrian town of Kobani. Turkey expressed its displeasure about the airdropped assistance; the PYD maintains links with the PKK, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the US and the European Union.

The US has been pushing Turkey to contribute more to the coalition against the terrorist threat of ISIL. With the Kurdish PYD forces in Kobani proving themselves to be one of the groups showing the strongest resistance against the ISIL advance over the past few months, the US has pushed Turkey to help armed Kurdish groups in Syria — but to no avail.

WASHINGTON Press Conference on White House Display of Orphan Rug Set for Tuesday

November 13, 2014 By administrator

WASHINGTON—On Tuesday, November 18th, Members of Congress including Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA) and Armenian-American groups will host a press conference at the National Press Club to mark the opening of the White House display of the Armenian Orphan Rug – also known as the Ghazir Rug – a work of art that has been the subject of political controversy since it was woven by orphan survivors of the Armenian Genocide and gifted to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance following Turkey’s mass murder of over 1.5 million Armenians and other Christians during World War I.

The press conference will begin at 10:00am at the National Press Club Lisagor Room and will include remarks by Representatives Schiff and Valadao as well as Dr. Martin Deranian, Author, “President Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug”; Hratch Kozibeyokian, Armenian Rugs Society Board of Directors; Aram S. Hamparian, Armenian National Committee of America; Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Assembly of America. Additional speakers may be added.

Following the press conference, Members of Congress and Armenian American community leaders will proceed the few blocks to the White House Visitor Center to view the Armenian Orphan Rug, which will be on display from November 18th to 23rd.

For the past year, Rep. Schiff has been working with members of the Armenian American community, as well as several of his colleagues, to convince the White House to reverse a 2013 decision to not allow the rug to be displayed. Display of the Armenian Orphan Rug is especially sensitive to the Turkish government, which objects to any official U.S. commemoration, directly or indirectly, of the Armenian Genocide. Ankara has been able to block its exhibition for decades.

As the world prepares to mark the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, a crime that claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenians, the display of the Orphan Rug will present a new generation of Americans with an artifact that can spark a candid discussion about how the world’s failure to either prevent or punish the first genocide of the modern era has contributed to the cycle of genocide that continues to this day.

Background:
After long decades in storage, and following Congressional pressure and a nationwide Armenian American grassroots campaign to secure its release, the White House has agreed to the display of the Armenian Orphan Rug, woven by orphan survivors of the Armenian Genocide and gifted to U.S. President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 in appreciation for U.S. humanitarian assistance following Turkey’s mass murder of over 1.5 million Armenians and other Christians.

The White House will be displaying the Armenian Orphan Rug, also known as the Ghazir Rug, as part of an exhibit at the White House Visitors Center. The exhibit – entitled “Thank you to the United States: Three Gifts to Presidents in Gratitude for American Generosity Abroad” – will showcase the Ghazir rug, as well as the Sèvres vase, given to President Herbert Hoover in appreciation for feeding children in post-World War I France, and the Flowering Branches in Lucite, given to President Barack Obama in recognition of American support of the people of Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2010. These three gifts to American presidents will be on display so visitors to the White House and those wishing to see the artifacts can view them.”

The exhibit is scheduled to take place at the White House Visitor Center from November 18th to 23rd. The White House Visitor Center is located at 1450 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC and is open to the public from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

The Armenian Orphan Rug measures 11′ 7″ x 18′ 5″ and is comprised of 4,404,206 individual knots. It took Armenian girls in the Ghazir Orphanage of Near East Relief 10 months to weave. The rug was delivered to President Coolidge on December 4, 1925, in time for Christmas, with a label on the back of the rug, which reads “IN GOLDEN RULE GRATITUDE TO PRESIDENT COOLIDGE.”

The controversy surrounding the Armenian orphan rug erupted in October, 2013, when the Washington Post and National Public Radio reported the White House’s abrupt and unexplained reversal of its agreement to lend the rug for a December 16, 2013, exhibition at the Smithsonian Institute, organized in cooperation with the Armenian Cultural Foundation and the Armenian Rugs Society. In an interview with Public Radio International (PRI), Washington Post Art Critic Philip Kennicott noted that while the White House has not offered an explanation for the reversal in decision, it is likely due to the U.S. government’s deference to Turkey’s international campaign of genocide denial.

In November, 2013, a bipartisan group of over 30 U.S. Representatives, led by Representatives Adam Schiff (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA), called on the White House to reverse its decision. Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) and Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Nikki Tsongas (D-MA) also sent personal letters urging the White House to take action.