WASHINGTON—On March 19, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) expressed shock and disappointment at U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Phil Gordon’s remarks seeking to cover up recent threats by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to deport Armenian citizens from Turkey.
“Prime Minister Erdogan’s menacing threat to deport Armenians represents the most chilling evidence that Turkey, despite the best efforts of its Washington allies to whitewash its record, remains committed to the same violent attitudes and intentions that led to the genocide of 1915,” stated ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “Secretary Gordon, having already played a central role in enforcing Turkey’s gag rule within the administration and recently in Congress, has now reached a new low, becoming a personal apologist for hateful and violence-inciting threats by Erdogan. We call upon President Obama to immediately condemn Secretary Gordon’s comments and affirm for the record that the U.S. government in no way condones renewed threats by Turkey against the Armenian people.”
Just weeks after the Swedish Parliament and the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee adopted legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Erdogan told BBC reporters that “There are 170,000 Armenians in my country, of which 70,000 are my citizens. We’re turning a blind eye to the other 100,000. However, tomorrow, if it becomes necessary, I would say to those 100,000, go back to your country. Why? Because they’re not my citizens; I’m not obliged to keep them in my country.”
Despite outrage expressed by government officials and media around the world and within Turkey, Gordon tried to explain away Erdogan’s comments as a mere statement on immigration policy. “In my opinion, Prime Minister Erdogan only wanted to highlight that there are 100,000 Armenians living in Turkey illegally. I don’t believe he threatened to deport them from the country. Those are separate issues. Every country has an issue with illegal immigrants and approaches it according to its laws,” Gordon remarked. The comment was originally reported by CNN-Turk, reprinted in the Armenian news site Tert.am, and verified by the ANCA in a conversation with State Department officials.
As Senator and presidential candidate, Obama pledged to recognize the Armenian Genocide, stating, “America deserves a leader who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that president.” Despite campaign statements in support of Armenian Genocide legislation, the Obama Administration attempted and failed to block House Foreign Affairs committee passage of H.Res.252, adopted by a vote of 23-22 on March 4. Comments from unnamed administration officials, reported widely in the U.S. press that a deal had been struck between the White House and Congress to shelve the resolution, were disavowed by Gordon earlier this week.
Congressional support for genocide resolution continues to grow
Meanwhile, congressional support for the Armenian Genocide Resolution continued to grow this week, with House Education Committee chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) the latest to add their names to the 139 co-sponsors of the resolution. The Senate version of the legislation, led by Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and John Ensign (R-Nev.), currently has 13 co-sponsors.
The ANCA is continuing its “End Turkey’s Gag Rule” campaign, urging elected officials in the U.S. and around the world to reject Turkey’s attempts to silence international affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. For more information, visit http://www.anca.org/endthegagrule.
It is the height of gall for Erdogan to call those lands “his country,” when it is OUR country. Why not “deport” Armenians back to their country (W. Armenia in present-day Turkey), and “deport” Turks to their natural habitat in Central Asia?
A MORE CIVIL,DIPLOMATIC APPROACH BY US.,RUSSIA AND EU.WOULD BE TO ADDRESS PRESIDENT OF REPUBLIC OF TURKEY TO ASK MR. RECEP T.ERDOGAN TO PRESENT HIS RESIGNATION.FOR HIS RECENT OUTBURST IS UNCOUTH,UN-DIPLOATIC AND TATAMOUNT TO RE-CONFIRMING HIS PREDECESORS’ STANCE AS TO THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE THAT LIVED PEACFULLY IN THEIR MILLENIA OLD HABITAT.
IT IS NOT IN LINE/ACCORD WITH U.N. CHARTER, AND OTHER UNIVERSAL DECLARATIONS AND CANNOT BE ACCEPTABLE .A NATION THAT IS ASPIRING TO ENTER E.U.THIS IS THE LEAST THAT IS ACTUALLY NOT IN CONFORMITY WITH SUCH CHARTERS . INSULTING,NAY THREATENING”CHANTAGE” BEHAVOURS CANNOT BE ADMITTED IN THE PRESENT MODUS VIVENDI
THAT THE WHOLE WORLD DESIRES…
TIME TO ACTIS NOW,IN ORDER THAT IF AND WHEN ARMENIAN GENOCDE RESOLUTION PASSES THEY (TURKEY) cannot protest and refuse doing so as well.
It is amazing that such a bigoted and racist remark is the response to this piece that is critical of the borderline racist comment of a politician.
ERDOGEN, is living in his HAPPY FANTASY WORLD, ALL THE CHRISTIAN COUNTRYS’ SHOULD kick out TURKISH MUSLIMS, so he can realize where his race of people stand in the world.
Laz,
Why dont the armenians in america go back to their natural habitat which is present day yerevan?
The world populace, politicians ,
And every human who blinds his eyes
Protecting the slayers
Let them know.
Let them know.
This is a prove
They have done before
They will do it more
Without feeling shames
In their guilty cores.
Dear Mary,
Don’t use religion in this case.
Saudi King Abdulla will not say this,
They have a great respect to Armenians
Many of their grandmothers were Armenians.
Turks entered Islam in 13th century.
They are killing Kurds as well,
Those are Muslims and Sunni like them.
And trying to invade all Arab countries once again ,
Already invaded Syria.
All are becoming facts .
To Ahmet Efendi..
Armeians of America (North) and south , then France,RRRRRussia are desirous to go to where they came from ,say Lake Van Area, Kars, Erzeroum, Yerznga etc.,
Yerevan they go too, indeed, as the only place they can breath and feel Armenian and then feel more Nostalgia for mentioed areas..
learn a bit willya?
Ahmet: Because their natural habitat is in Turkish-occupied Armenia.
Philip Gordon says these things not just because he represents the US State Department but because he’ll need a job after he quits the government.
What better job than to serve as a bootlicking paid lobbyist for Turkey and Israel?
He gets to make money and serve his two real homelands too, instead of his adopted country, the US, which he really has very little in common with from every standpoint – if you get my drift.
To Ahmet:
Why dont the turks around the world go back to their natural habitat which is present day Mongolia?
Armenia has a 98% purity rate (one of the highest in the world), which was acheived via ethnic cleansing! There are thousands of Armenians living all throughout Turkey (many of whom illegally). They are tolerated by the Turkish populace (can the same be said for any Muslim in Armenia?). There are at least six Armenian orthodox churches in Istanbul alone! No one forced these Armenians to come to Turkey. They came as part of the ongoing exodus from Armenia (one of the most corrupt, economically depressed, religiously oppressed nations on the planet), estimates are that 6,000 Armenian citizens each month seek visas or just simply escape, with many settling in Turkey (legal and illegal). Turkey is under no obligation to feed, give medical care, educate, etc. all of those illegal Armenians (who’d love to live off the Turkish taxpayer…just like they do now in the US, as lazy, arrogant and criminal (gansta and otherwise) welfare cases [Glendale & Fresno, CA, as well as in MI and MA])! There is only one single Mosque in Yerevan, and that is constantly monitored by Armenian secret police (who love to take pictures of everyone that goes in and come out). How many Turks actually live and work in Armenia proper (X > 5 but < 10)? Of those who do live there, how many are terrorized daily? How much racism is heaped upon them? So go ahead and keep insulting us and pushing us to our limits…you may all soon discover that your actions in other nation’s parliaments and congresses will be the last straw, prompting Turks everywhere to join with our Azeri brothers and sisters, as we rise up in a joint effort to rebuke all of your negative effects, and then focus on Turkey proper, capturing and deporting all illegal Armenians there! Remember that all of your negative actions us today and yesterday will have a negative result tomorrow, when percieved by the world’s audience.
Robert?
This reminds me of Robert College(non-turkish establishment)Few turks went there to study…
We have in Armeia more than 40,000 Kurds ,that your ugly Govt. used to call for near 80 yrs…as”mountain turks”at long last now they are obliged to call them by their real name K U R D S .What your Govt. did to them is burn down more than a 1000 villages, past 15-20 yrs.Now they are awakening(some 20 million)? Whne you ostentaciously state Turkey has a poplation of 70 million deduct said 20 million and then many other such like people…what remians thee is turks .In Armenia we tolerate Assyrians, nay they are equal citizes like the kurds there and the other minorities.
To your chagrin IRAN is , hasbeen our very good neighbour and that Mosque in Central Yerevan is the only one because they did not wish to build more.They are welcome to build more if they so wis.At present more than ten thousand Iranians are resdent in Armeia .As to tourism from Iran , it flourishes.We have many kind of Govt. pacts with Iran including MILITARY, also with all 4 more CIS countrries …read RRRRussia, Kazakstan, and two more..
if any of these is attacked ALL STEP IN!!!!!
YOUR VEIED THREATS …THEREFORE DO NOT MEAN A THING TO US..also GIT ALOAD OF THIS NOW, NEITHER GREECE, NOR BULGARIA(RECENTLY PRESSED FOR 20 BILLION DOLLARS FOR BLOOD MONEY FROM TURKEY(DID YOU KNOW THAT0 THEN I DN’T THINK ANY ARAB CO UNTRY IS WELL DISPOSED TO YOU,SINCE YOUR PREDECESSOR OTTOAMN TURKEY ASO pursecuted them.
If you and your like persst in addressing us like your imaginary “raya”s you are dead wrong.The Armeian Diaspora knows you and your Govt.s better than ay other..
So think before you put to wrting threat like -as above-posts.I ave only stated what is ACTUALITY…go learn about all that a bit.