RA MFA dismayed at position of Former U.S. Secretaries of State on Armenian Genocide Resolution
"It is with dismay that I read the content of the letter signed by former US Secretaries of State urging Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to derail H. Res. 106," says a statement by Vartan Oskanian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, on the letter by Former Secretaries of State to U.S. Speaker of the House Pelosi on the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H.Res.106).
"It is quite unfortunate that eight experienced diplomats would buy into Turkish manipulation. There is much to disagree with in that letter, especially about the purported dangers of such a resolution. I will only address the insincere claim that such a resolution would "damage efforts to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey."
I regret to say that there is no process in place to promote normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey. Expressing concern about damaging a process that doesn't exist is disingenuous.
Armenia has always been ready to have normal relations with its neighbor. Yet, every initiative that would lead toward normalization has been rejected by Turkey. Instead, it continues to place pre-conditions. Turkey makes offers that are simply invitations for open-ended talk, without serious commitment to arriving at minimal, ordinary relations between neighbors. Even their call for a historical commission to discuss painful, historic events is not serious, given their prohibitive penal consequences for open speech and discussion and the adversarial environment Turkey has created by maintaining closed borders with Armenia.
I have already written to Speaker Pelosi to express our deep concerns and to dismiss as unfounded any implication that a resolution that addresses matters of human rights and genocide could damage anyone's bilateral relations," the statement says.
In their September 25th jointly-signed letter, former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker III, Warren Christopher, Laurence Eagleburger, Alexander Haig, Jr., Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and George Schultz, urged Speaker Pelosi to, "prevent the resolution from reaching the House Floor," thereby denying House Members an opportunity to vote their conscience on the Armenian Genocide. The former State Department officials expressed concern that passage of the resolution "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."
"It is quite unfortunate that eight experienced diplomats would buy into Turkish manipulation. There is much to disagree with in that letter, especially about the purported dangers of such a resolution. I will only address the insincere claim that such a resolution would "damage efforts to promote reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey."
I regret to say that there is no process in place to promote normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey. Expressing concern about damaging a process that doesn't exist is disingenuous.
Armenia has always been ready to have normal relations with its neighbor. Yet, every initiative that would lead toward normalization has been rejected by Turkey. Instead, it continues to place pre-conditions. Turkey makes offers that are simply invitations for open-ended talk, without serious commitment to arriving at minimal, ordinary relations between neighbors. Even their call for a historical commission to discuss painful, historic events is not serious, given their prohibitive penal consequences for open speech and discussion and the adversarial environment Turkey has created by maintaining closed borders with Armenia.
I have already written to Speaker Pelosi to express our deep concerns and to dismiss as unfounded any implication that a resolution that addresses matters of human rights and genocide could damage anyone's bilateral relations," the statement says.
In their September 25th jointly-signed letter, former Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright, James Baker III, Warren Christopher, Laurence Eagleburger, Alexander Haig, Jr., Henry Kissinger, Colin Powell, and George Schultz, urged Speaker Pelosi to, "prevent the resolution from reaching the House Floor," thereby denying House Members an opportunity to vote their conscience on the Armenian Genocide. The former State Department officials expressed concern that passage of the resolution "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."
