60 Congressmen Called upon U.S. Department of State to Press on Ankara

PanARMENIAN.Net - DC Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) was joined by fifty-nine U.S. House colleagues on Dec. 15 in calling on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to provide an update on U.S. diplomatic efforts to end Turkey's ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide, lift its blockade of Armenia, and end its military occupation of Cyprus, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)."We are gratified by the growing Congressional pressure on Turkey to abandon its hostile attitudes and actions against Armenia, Cyprus, and Greece, and will continue to work to ensure that these issues remain at the forefront of the U.S.-Turkey relationship until they are resolved in a just and durable manner," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. Concerning the Armenian Genocide, the letter notes that, "few tragedies in our shared history are as comprehensively documented as the fate of more than 1.5 million Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923." The letter goes on to stress that, "We believe that only by acknowledging the Ottoman Empire's genocidal legacy, can Turkey fully return to the community of nations." With regard to Turkey's blockade of Armenia, the letter notes that, "despite violating international law and condemnations on behalf of the United States and the European Union, Turkey continues to impose its blockade against Armenia, now in its twelfth year." It goes on to note that "overall, this policy acts against the interests of the European Union and is counterproductive to U.S. interests to support broad engagement with the nations of the South Caucasus to help them 'remain independent, and [to] become democratic, stable, and prosperous partners of the United States.'"