LOWELL, Mass. (A.W.)—The Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Merrimack Valley recently met with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas to present her with the Armenian National Committee of America-Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) Freedom Award. Tsongas was unable to attend the ANCA Eastern Region Gala Awards Banquet in December, when she officially received the award.
The meeting also provided an opportunity review key issues of concern to the Armenian community, including the U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, continued Azerbaijani aggression in Artsakh, and the proposed U.S.-Armenia Tax Treaty.
Shortly after the meeting, Congresswoman Tsongas signed the letter by Representatives David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to help boost U.S.-Armenia trade by negotiating a new U.S.-Armenia Double Tax Treaty.
Representative Tsongas, together with Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, received the 2017 ANCA-ER Freedom Award—the organization’s highest honor given to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions toward issues of concern to the Armenian-American community.
“Elected in 2007, Tsongas is the first woman to serve in Congress from Massachusetts in 25 years. Every April since, she has been present at the Armenian flag-raising at Lowell City Hall,” noted ANCA-ER Board Member Tsoleen Sarian when it was announced that Tsongas would be given the award. “With her pledge of unwavering support for Armenia and her membership in the Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues, she champions the responsibility to acknowledge the truth of the Armenian Genocide, a necessary step to building a more just future for all.”
Previous ANCA-ER Freedom Award recipients include U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John M. Evans; Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power; U.S. Senator Robert Menendez; the late U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy; U.S. Senators Robert Dole and Elizabeth Dole; Baroness Caroline Cox; renowned lawyer Robert Morgenthau and the Morgenthau family; former House Majority Whip David Bonior; lawyer, writer, and human rights activist Fethiye Çetin; President of the Artsakh Republic Bako Sahakyan; U.S. Senator Mark Kirk; and U.S. Senator Christopher Van Hollen Jr.
Since her election, Congresswoman Tsongas, a member of the Armenian Caucus, has been a consistent and staunch supporter of Armenian issues.
For the centennial commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in 2015, Rep. Tsongas offered remarks on the U.S. House floor, stating, “I rise today in remembrance of the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide, which began 100 years ago on April 24. I join with the Armenian National Committee of the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts and Armenian communities across the country and throughout the world in mourning those lost and honoring the survivors and their descendants as we recognize this centennial commemoration…. The systematic, premeditated mass murder committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians was genocide. Other countries have formally acknowledged dark and painful chapters in their past, and it is time for Turkey to do the same. The Armenians and the descendants of those who were victimized deserve justice. On this somber anniversary, we have a responsibility to acknowledge the truth about this horrific event. It is a necessary step to building a more just future for all Armenians.”
During the 114th Congress, Rep. Tsongas co-sponsored the Armenian Genocide Truth + Justice Resolution (H. Res. 154), signed the October 2015 Royce-Engel letter offering common-sense solutions to stop Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh and Armenia, and also signed the March 2016 Royce-Sherman letter calling for implementation of the Royce-Engel proposals to end Azerbaijani Aggression.
In 2014, Rep. Tsongas wrote a letter to then-President Barack Obama urging him to display Armenian Orphan Rug at the White House Visitor Center.
For the years 2012, 2014, and 2016, Rep. Tsongas received an “A” or “A+” grading on the ANCA Congressional Scorecard for her leadership and strong support on issues of importance to the Armenian-American community.
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