With the August Congressional recess at its end, the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of New Jersey concluded their Congressional outreach for the summer by meeting with Congressmen Leonard Lance (7th District), Rodney Frelinghuysen (11th District), and Robert Andrews (1st District). ANC of N.J. co-chairman James Sahagian was joined by ANC activists and constituents. They discussed priority ANCA issues including U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, foreign aid and trade with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh, and Azerbaijan’s aggression towards Karabagh.
“The Armenian community in New Jersey is fortunate to have leaders in Congress like Congressmen Andrews, Lance, and Frelinghuysen who have stood with us and the Republic of Armenia in promoting peace, justice, and development through the years. We look forward to working even more closely with them, and the other members of the New Jersey delegation towards ensuring a brighter future for the people of Armenia and Karabagh,” said Sahagian.
The ANC of N.J. met with Andrews at his regional office in Haddon Heights, and was joined by constituents Lena Arslanian and her two daughters, Tiffany and Jen. Andrews shared his hope that Armenia will develop both economically and democratically, and that he would continue to support stronger ties between the United States and Armenia. He expressed his belief that Armenia’s greatest natural resource is its people, and as such, he believes that it can become a regional technology hub and have a promising future. Responding to a request by the ANCA to encourage a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between the U.S. and Armenia, Andrews promised to write a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk requesting such an agreement to be implemented between the two countries.
In Morristown, the ANC of N.J. met with Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen. Participating in the meeting were constituents Raffi Jamgochian and Levon Ariyan, as well as Sahagian and ANCA Eastern Region director Garo Manjikian. Jamgochian and Ariyan thanked the Congressman for his continued support on Armenian Genocide recognition and shared personal stories of how, through them and others in the community, the history is connected to the district. Frelinghuysen shared his reasons for supporting Armenian American issues and described his uncommon trip to Nagorno-Karabagh.
Sahagian and Manjikian had their first ANC of N.J. district meeting with Congressman Leonard Lance in Westfield. Lance is serving his first term in Congress. Sahagian and Manjikian gave an overview of the ANCA , discussed core ANCA issues including the most recent development, and expressed enthusiasm for building upon the new relationship with the Congressman.
All three Congressmen are co-sponsors of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, H.Res.252, which awaits passage on the full House floor. The ANC of New Jersey will continue to foster awareness in support of Armenian issues, work with elected officials of New Jersey, and represent the Armenian American constituency on matters of public policy.
To get involved with the ANC of New Jersey, email co-chairs James Sahagian and Kim Arzoumanian at anc.nj@anca.org.
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