WASHINGTON, DC—The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is supporting close Senate scrutiny of President Biden’s controversial nomination this week of former Arizona legislator Jeff Flake—a longstanding ally of Ankara’s campaign of Armenian Genocide —to serve as our nation’s next Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey.
“Jeff Flake’s long and shameful record of complicity in Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide casts a dark shadow over his nomination,” said ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian. “President Biden—who joined earlier this year with the Senate and House in recognizing the Armenian Genocide—is sending the wrong signal to Ankara—backsliding just months after this April’s landmark remembrance. We can and must do better—giving substance to our Armenian Genocide policy by sending Turkey an Ambassador, in the spirit of Henry Morgenthau or John Evans, with a strong public record of forcefully and forthrightly rejecting Ankara’s lies.”
As a member of the US House of Representatives and later the US Senate, Flake consistently opposed bipartisan Congressional efforts to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In 2005, 2007 and 2010, as a member of the US House of Representatives, Flake voted against measures on the Armenian Genocide pending before the House International Relations Committee. In 2014, Flake was one of only five US Senators to oppose an Armenian Genocide resolution advanced in the US Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations by its Chairman, Robert Menendez (D-NJ).
Over the coming weeks, the US Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations will consider Flake’s nomination. The ANCA will be working in a bipartisan manner to ensure that Flake’s complicity in Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide is carefully scrutinized by members of this powerful committee.
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If I remember correctly during those years mentioned the US policy was not to officially support Armenia regarding the genocide in favor of Its political alliance with Turkey. This was not a new concept in politics, but it is what it is. Recently the political environment with Turkey has changed (since Obama) ergo the Biden administrations announcement on the new policy.
Jeff Flakes appointment as ambassador to Turkey will reflect the that new policy. I believe he will honorably reflect that new policy.
Jeff flake cannot be trusted. He betrayed American’s when he and Susan Collins voted at the last minute voted with his Republican cohorts to appoint Kavanaugh as supreme justice of which was insulting to most of us!!!. “Biden errored greatly on this choice and regret it.