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Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet www.anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
April 5, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
COSTA AND SCHIFF CONDEMN TURKEY'S
THREAT TO DEPORT ARMENIANS
-- ANCA Disappointed in State Department Response to Ankara's Warning
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressmen Jim Costa (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA)
have spoken out forcefully against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan's chilling warning - clearly intended to intimidate Armenia by
raising the specter of 1915 - that Ankara may respond to international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by launching a new wave of
deportations of Armenians living in Turkey, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Prime Minister Erdogan's cruel threat to expel Armenians from Turkey
as punishment for the House Foreign Affairs Committee's recent markup
of my Armenian Genocide commemoration resolution is the latest example
of a longstanding policy of using Armenians as 'human shields' in
Ankara's campaign of genocide denial," said Congressman Schiff, the
lead author of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. "Ninety-five years
after Ottoman troops forced marched hundreds of thousands of Armenians
through the desert and to their deaths, Erdogan's comments add a new
measure of cruelty towards the survivors and their families."
"Turkey's threat of deportation against Armenian migrants, whether
documented or undocumented, is irresponsible, especially considering
that Armenia-Turkey relations continue to be haunted by the Armenian
Genocide," said Congressman Costa, a leading member of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee.
"Congressman Costa and Schiff's powerful and principled comments
condemning Prime Minister Erdogan's threats to deport Armenians stand
in sharp contrast to the State Department's strained and, frankly
implausible, efforts to somehow dismiss Ankara's chilling warnings as
a simple immigration issue," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director
of the ANCA. "Erdogan's comments were clear, as was his obvious
intention to use the specter of 1915 to intimidate the Armenian
people."
Earlier today, noted columnist Christopher Hitchens explained that
Erdogan's threat was akin to the Turkish leader saying: "If democratic
assemblies dare to mention the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in the
20th century, I will personally complete that cleansing in the 21st!"
He was also sharply critical of the U.S. silence in response to this
ominous warning.
In recent weeks, the London Times has called Turkey's threats to expel
Armenians "unconscionable" and "shameful," and The London Daily News
noted Turkey was "entering the dark ages mode."
Below are links to three recent responses in the international media
to Erdogan's threat:
Turkey Denies History
Christopher Hitchens
History News Network
April 5, 2010
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/125231.html
Un comfortable Truth: Turkish threats to expel Armenian
migrants to make a political point are shameful
The London Times (Editorial)
March 18, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/lead ing_article/arti
cle7066163.ece
Turkey goes into "dark ages mode" following Armenian
expulsion threat
The London Daily News (Editorial)
March 18, 2010
http://www.thelondondailynews.com/turkey-goes -into-dark-ages-
mode-following-armenian-expulsion -threat-p-3904.html
1711 N Street, NW Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email. [email protected]
Internet www.anca.org
PRESS RELEASE
April 5, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
COSTA AND SCHIFF CONDEMN TURKEY'S
THREAT TO DEPORT ARMENIANS
-- ANCA Disappointed in State Department Response to Ankara's Warning
WASHINGTON, DC - Congressmen Jim Costa (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA)
have spoken out forcefully against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan's chilling warning - clearly intended to intimidate Armenia by
raising the specter of 1915 - that Ankara may respond to international
recognition of the Armenian Genocide by launching a new wave of
deportations of Armenians living in Turkey, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Prime Minister Erdogan's cruel threat to expel Armenians from Turkey
as punishment for the House Foreign Affairs Committee's recent markup
of my Armenian Genocide commemoration resolution is the latest example
of a longstanding policy of using Armenians as 'human shields' in
Ankara's campaign of genocide denial," said Congressman Schiff, the
lead author of the Armenian Genocide Resolution. "Ninety-five years
after Ottoman troops forced marched hundreds of thousands of Armenians
through the desert and to their deaths, Erdogan's comments add a new
measure of cruelty towards the survivors and their families."
"Turkey's threat of deportation against Armenian migrants, whether
documented or undocumented, is irresponsible, especially considering
that Armenia-Turkey relations continue to be haunted by the Armenian
Genocide," said Congressman Costa, a leading member of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee.
"Congressman Costa and Schiff's powerful and principled comments
condemning Prime Minister Erdogan's threats to deport Armenians stand
in sharp contrast to the State Department's strained and, frankly
implausible, efforts to somehow dismiss Ankara's chilling warnings as
a simple immigration issue," said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director
of the ANCA. "Erdogan's comments were clear, as was his obvious
intention to use the specter of 1915 to intimidate the Armenian
people."
Earlier today, noted columnist Christopher Hitchens explained that
Erdogan's threat was akin to the Turkish leader saying: "If democratic
assemblies dare to mention the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in the
20th century, I will personally complete that cleansing in the 21st!"
He was also sharply critical of the U.S. silence in response to this
ominous warning.
In recent weeks, the London Times has called Turkey's threats to expel
Armenians "unconscionable" and "shameful," and The London Daily News
noted Turkey was "entering the dark ages mode."
Below are links to three recent responses in the international media
to Erdogan's threat:
Turkey Denies History
Christopher Hitchens
History News Network
April 5, 2010
http://hnn.us/roundup/entries/125231.html
Un comfortable Truth: Turkish threats to expel Armenian
migrants to make a political point are shameful
The London Times (Editorial)
March 18, 2010
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/lead ing_article/arti
cle7066163.ece
Turkey goes into "dark ages mode" following Armenian
expulsion threat
The London Daily News (Editorial)
March 18, 2010
http://www.thelondondailynews.com/turkey-goes -into-dark-ages-
mode-following-armenian-expulsion -threat-p-3904.html