Congressman signals upcoming House vote on Armenian GenocideOctober 23, 2019 - 11:42 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY), Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and other leading legislators are reporting publicly that the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.296) is set to come before the U.S. House for a vote as early as next week, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). “I’m sure the government of Turkey is not happy with [these plans], but then again we’re not happy with the government of Turkey,” Chairman Engel told reporters, according to an NPR report on Tuesday, October 22. “We welcome movement on Capitol Hill to override Ankara’s veto and put America on the right side of the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It’s clear that Erdogan won’t take U.S. sanctions seriously as long as Washington’s still enforcing his Armenian Genocide gag-rule.” The ANCA has worked closely with House and Senate leaders to secure votes on H.Res.296 and its Senate counterpart – S.Res.150 – since their introduction in April, 2019. Earlier today, in a Facebook live video message, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian briefed Armenian Americans on the status of the legislation and next steps in the lead up to House consideration. Thousands of letters have already been sent to Congress by ANCA Rapid Responders and Armenian American advocates through the ANCA online portal. The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. Freedom House concerned by mounting reports of police violence in Armenia Freedom House urged Armenian authorities to investigate this pattern of excessive force and inhumane treatment. CSTO recognizes Armenia’s sovereign right to withdraw Tasmagambetov has said that if Armenia decides to leave the organization, “it will be the sovereign right of Armenia.” |