Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet www.anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
January 25, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
JOHN EDWARDS CALLS FOR PASSAGE OF GENOCIDE RESOLUTION;
STRONG U.S.-ARMENIA RELATIONSHIP
"As President, I will prioritize our special relationship with
Armenia and the goal of a lasting peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the
entire region." - Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards
WASHINGTON, DC - Former North Carolina Senator and Democratic
Presidential hopeful John Edwards added his voice to the list of
Presidential candidates calling for passage of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).
In his January 24th letter to the ANCA, Sen. Edwards stated that,
"I support the Congressional resolution declaring the massacre of
1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 a genocide."
Edwards went on to note that, "we must also continue to strengthen
our relationship with Turkey, an important democratic ally against
the forces of tyranny in the region." Remarking on U.S.-Armenia
relations, Edwards stated that, "As President, I will prioritize
our special relationship with Armenia and the goal of a lasting
peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the entire region."
As a Senator, John Edwards cosponsored successive Armenian Genocide
Resolutions beginning in 2002. He also supported Section 907
restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan due to its ongoing blockades
of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. His advocacy on behalf of the
family of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, who died after her
insurance company denied funding for a liver transplant, has been
warmly received by Armenian Americans around the country.
To learn more about the John Edwards campaign, contact:
John Edwards for President
410 Market Street, Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Tel: (919) 636-3131
http://www.johnedwards.com
As always, the ANCA welcomes feedback on its service to the
Armenian American community. Please forward your thoughts and
suggestions about the 2008 Presidential election by email to
[email protected].
#####
TEXT OF JOHN EDWARDS LETTER TO ANCA ON ARMENIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
John Edwards 08
January 24, 2008
Aram Suren Hamparian
Executive Director
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Dear Mr. Hamparian,
Thank you for contacting me regarding my positions on issues of
importance to Americans of Armenian descent. I am proud of my
record in the U.S. Senate fighting hard for the concerns of our
nation's one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage. In
the Senate, I stood against threats to Armenia's security,
including the blockades it continues to endure. As President, I
will prioritize our special relationship with Armenia and the goal
of a lasting peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the entire region.
I strongly believe that the United States must stand for telling
the truth about all genocides. I support the Congressional
resolution declaring the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the
Ottoman Empire in 1915 a genocide. We must also continue to
strengthen our relationship with Turkey, an important democratic
ally against the forces of tyranny in the region. The resolution
should therefore be integrated with a comprehensive diplomatic
effort to make sure that our friends in Turkey today understand
that the resolution is not aimed at them but instead at atrocities
committed almost a century ago by the Ottoman Empire.
In addition, I have recently come to know the family of Nataline
Sarkisyan, a young woman who died after her family was denied
funding for a liver transplant by her insurance company. The
Armenian American community has embraced the Sarkisyan family, and
it has been a privilege to work with Americans of Armenian descent
in sharing Nataline's tragic story and in emphasizing the desperate
need to establish a universal health care system in the United
States.
Thank you for the opportunity to address these important issues.
Sincerely,
John Edwards
1711 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
[email protected]
Internet www.anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
January 25, 2008
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
JOHN EDWARDS CALLS FOR PASSAGE OF GENOCIDE RESOLUTION;
STRONG U.S.-ARMENIA RELATIONSHIP
"As President, I will prioritize our special relationship with
Armenia and the goal of a lasting peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the
entire region." - Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards
WASHINGTON, DC - Former North Carolina Senator and Democratic
Presidential hopeful John Edwards added his voice to the list of
Presidential candidates calling for passage of the Armenian
Genocide Resolution, reported the Armenian National Committee of
America (ANCA).
In his January 24th letter to the ANCA, Sen. Edwards stated that,
"I support the Congressional resolution declaring the massacre of
1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 a genocide."
Edwards went on to note that, "we must also continue to strengthen
our relationship with Turkey, an important democratic ally against
the forces of tyranny in the region." Remarking on U.S.-Armenia
relations, Edwards stated that, "As President, I will prioritize
our special relationship with Armenia and the goal of a lasting
peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the entire region."
As a Senator, John Edwards cosponsored successive Armenian Genocide
Resolutions beginning in 2002. He also supported Section 907
restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan due to its ongoing blockades
of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. His advocacy on behalf of the
family of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, who died after her
insurance company denied funding for a liver transplant, has been
warmly received by Armenian Americans around the country.
To learn more about the John Edwards campaign, contact:
John Edwards for President
410 Market Street, Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Tel: (919) 636-3131
http://www.johnedwards.com
As always, the ANCA welcomes feedback on its service to the
Armenian American community. Please forward your thoughts and
suggestions about the 2008 Presidential election by email to
[email protected].
#####
TEXT OF JOHN EDWARDS LETTER TO ANCA ON ARMENIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
John Edwards 08
January 24, 2008
Aram Suren Hamparian
Executive Director
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Dear Mr. Hamparian,
Thank you for contacting me regarding my positions on issues of
importance to Americans of Armenian descent. I am proud of my
record in the U.S. Senate fighting hard for the concerns of our
nation's one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage. In
the Senate, I stood against threats to Armenia's security,
including the blockades it continues to endure. As President, I
will prioritize our special relationship with Armenia and the goal
of a lasting peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the entire region.
I strongly believe that the United States must stand for telling
the truth about all genocides. I support the Congressional
resolution declaring the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the
Ottoman Empire in 1915 a genocide. We must also continue to
strengthen our relationship with Turkey, an important democratic
ally against the forces of tyranny in the region. The resolution
should therefore be integrated with a comprehensive diplomatic
effort to make sure that our friends in Turkey today understand
that the resolution is not aimed at them but instead at atrocities
committed almost a century ago by the Ottoman Empire.
In addition, I have recently come to know the family of Nataline
Sarkisyan, a young woman who died after her family was denied
funding for a liver transplant by her insurance company. The
Armenian American community has embraced the Sarkisyan family, and
it has been a privilege to work with Americans of Armenian descent
in sharing Nataline's tragic story and in emphasizing the desperate
need to establish a universal health care system in the United
States.
Thank you for the opportunity to address these important issues.
Sincerely,
John Edwards