ANCA testimony to call for conditions on Turkey trade deal

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Government Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian will testify this coming week before the U.S. International Trade Commission in support of strict rule-of-law conditions on any new American trade agreements involving Turkey.

Nahapetian will appear before a hearing called to consider public comments regarding the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which will take place over May 29 and 30. It will be chaired by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and include a panel of senior officials from member agencies of the Trade Policy Staff Committee.

The Turkish government, has, in recent months, lobbied Washington aggressively for inclusion in a proposed far-ranging Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the U.S. and the European Union, as well as for its own U.S.-Turkey bilateral free trade agreement. The ANCA, consistent with a joint written statement submitted earlier this month to the USTR along with the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), will encourage the U.S. government to require, as a pre-condition for any trade deals involving Turkey, that the Turkish government have fully withdrawn its unlawful military occupation of Cyprus, unconditionally lifted its illegal economic blockade of Armenia, and ended all obstacles to trade, investment, and other forms of commerce has Ankara imposed on Cyprus and Armenia.

Also offering testimony will be a broad range of corporate, labor, citizens, and trade associations, including U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, American Insurance Association, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, Software Information Industry Association, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Public Citizen, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Consumer Federation of America, Underwriters Laboratories, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Transatlantic Business Council, American Association of Exporters and Importers, American Apparel and Footwear Association, and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers.