ANCA Calls Out Turkey’s Double Standard

Message to Capitol Hill Calls for Adoption of Resolution

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) this week circulated a memo to Congressional offices highlighting Turkey’s increasingly stark double standard in aggressively challenging U.S. interests while continuing to dictate to American leaders what they can—and cannot— say about the Armenian Genocide.

The memo, sent by ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian, noted that “Turkey’s leaders reserve for themselves the freedom to act with complete disregard for U.S. interests, allies, and values, even as they dictate to us what we are allowed to say about the Armenian Genocide.” It closed with a call upon legislators to reject Turkey’s veto of the Armenian Genocide recognition and called for the adoption of H.Res.252, the Armenian Genocide Resolution.

The ANCA also stressed that Turkey should be the last country to offer lectures about the conduct of other nations, and listed a series of seven acts of violence and aggression by Turkish leaders, both at home and abroad, over the course of more than a century.

The full text of the ANCA memo is provided below.

***

To: Foreign Affairs Legislative Aide
From: Aram Hamparian, Executive Director
Date: June 9, 2010
RE: H.Res.252, the Armenian Genocide Resolution

When will we reject Turkey’s gag rule on U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide?Just a few hours ago Turkey voted against a UN Security Council resolution imposing sanctions on Iran. Over the past few weeks, Turkey has accused Israel of “state terrorism” and compared the Gaza flotilla raid to 9/11. Since 2003, when Turkey blocked a northern front in the war on Iraq, Ankara has lined up—aggressively and unapologetically—against the United States on issue after issue.

What is truly striking is Turkey’s double-standard in its dealings with our country. Turkey’s leaders reserve for themselves the freedom to act with complete disregard for U.S. interests, allies, and values, even as they dictate to us what we are allowed to say about the Armenian Genocide.

The time has long since passed for America to stop outsourcing our policy on the Armenian Genocide. Please reject Turkey’s veto of the Armenian Genocide Resolution by calling for the passage of H.Res.252.

Turkey’s Hypocrisy

Turkey should be the last country to offer lectures about the conduct of other nations, especially when we consider the record of violence and aggression by Turkish leaders, both at home and abroad, over the course of more than a century:

1) Turkey aggressively denies the Armenian Genocide, pressuring America to remain silent on this crime and prosecuting its own citizens who speak truthfully about this atrocity.

2) Turkey has been illegally blockading landlocked Armenia since 1993.

3) Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and continues to occupy over a third of this sovereign nation.

4) Turkey has destroyed thousands of Kurdish villages, uprooting millions of Kurds, and denying tens of millions of its own Kurdish citizens their basic human rights.

5) Turkey denies the Darfur Genocide and provides arms to the Sudanese government, led by Omar al-Bashir, who has been indicted for war crimes.

6) Turkey continues to impose official restrictions and unofficial pressure on the Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, and Syriac churches and on other minority religious groups.

7) Turkey’s leaders foster domestic political support by taking anti-U.S. and anti-Israel stands: Among the best selling books in Turkey is Hitler’s Mein Kampf; one of their most popular films, “Valley of the Wolves,” features a Turkish nuclear attack on Washington.