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ACKERMAN DISMAYED OVER PLAN TO HONOR TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER
News from Congressman Gary Ackerman
5th District - New York
Queens & Long Island
June 15, 2010
Contact: Jordan Goldes, 718-423-2154
U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on
the Middle East and South Asia, today to expressed his dismay and deep
concern regarding the intention of the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars (WWC) to honor Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu with the WWC Public Service Award. Ackerman this afternoon
sent the following letter on the matter to Lee Hamilton, the President
and Director of the WWC.
The Honorable Lee Hamilton President and Director Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center One Woodrow Wilson Plaza 1300 Pennsylvania
Ave NW Washington, DC 20004-3027
Dear Lee:
I write to express my deep concern and dismay regarding the intention
of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWC) to
honor Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu with the WWC Public
Service Award. I am keenly aware of the need for greater cooperation
and understanding in the world arena, and I applaud the invaluable
work the WWC has done to build ties between America and intellectual
and political leaders from around the world.
These efforts truly celebrate the life and work of President Wilson,
and the United States benefits greatly from the WWC's success in
promoting effective international dialogue about vital issues and
building essential strategic relationships. The Congress has wisely
supported the WWC, contributing about a third of its annual revenue,
and I am committed to sustaining that effort.
I am, however, very strongly of the view that publicly honoring Foreign
Minister Davutoglu at this time is absolutely inconsistent-absolutely
inconsistent-with the mission of the WWC and the ideals that animated
President Wilson's administration and foreign policy. The actions and
statements of Foreign Minister Davutoglu stand in sharp contrast to
the legacy of President Wilson.
Turkey's foreign policy under Foreign Minister Davutoglu's leadership
is rife with illegality, irresponsibility and hypocrisy. Turkey
continues to not only deny the Armenian Genocide, but also to
criminalize recognition of it in Turkey. Worse, Ankara threatens to
break relations with states that acknowledge the role of the Ottoman
Empire in the deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as
a matter of state policy. Turkey continues to militarily occupy
Cyprus and to work against U.S.-backed efforts by the United Nations
to resolve the conflict on that island. Turkey maintains a closed
border with Armenia and has made improved relations with Armenia a
political hostage to the conflict in Ngorno-Karabagh and denial of
the Armenian genocide.
Turkey recently voted against sanctions on Iran by the UN Security
Council despite clear evidence that Iran's nuclear program has
violated numerous UN Security Council resolutions, and both Iran's
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency
safeguards agreement obligations. Turkey has politically backed both
the genocidal regime in Sudan and the genocide-denying regime in Iran.
Turkey has fanned the flames of instability in the Middle East by
rejecting Israeli efforts to channel humanitarian aid to Gaza through
Israeli ports in order to ensure weapons were not going to be shipped
to Hamas. Rather focusing its efforts on helping the people in Gaza,
Turkey has focused on demonizing the State of Israel.
Foreign Minister Davutoglu personally described the recent flotilla
incident as Turkey's 9/11, a sickening comparison of the unfortunate
deaths of nine radical anti-Israel activists who died while assaulting
Israeli commandos performing a legal blockade enforcement mission,
to the worst terrorist attack in history, which claimed 2,976 innocent
lives in my hometown, New York City. And, despite Turkey's own bitter
history fighting against Kurdish terrorism, which has led to Turkish
military operations well inside of Iraq, the Turkish government insists
that Hamas, a State Department designated terrorist organization known
for indiscriminate rocket fire on Israeli cities and suicide bombings
in Israeli restaurants, is not a terrorist organization at all.
A foreign leader who represents and defends this kind of foreign
policy, one who has championed Turkey's most odious efforts to deny
to others the human dignity that Turkey rightly expects for its own
people, is not a worthy recipient of the WWC Public Service Award.
In the interest of preserving the Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars mission, namely, "advancing the ideals and concerns
of Woodrow Wilson" I strongly urge you to rescind the decision to
present Foreign Minister Davutoglu with the WWC Public Service Award.
Sincerely, Gary L. Ackerman Chairman Subcommittee on the Middle East
and South Asia
From: A. Papazian
News from Congressman Gary Ackerman
5th District - New York
Queens & Long Island
June 15, 2010
Contact: Jordan Goldes, 718-423-2154
U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on
the Middle East and South Asia, today to expressed his dismay and deep
concern regarding the intention of the Woodrow Wilson International
Center for Scholars (WWC) to honor Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet
Davutoglu with the WWC Public Service Award. Ackerman this afternoon
sent the following letter on the matter to Lee Hamilton, the President
and Director of the WWC.
The Honorable Lee Hamilton President and Director Woodrow Wilson
International Center for Scholars Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center One Woodrow Wilson Plaza 1300 Pennsylvania
Ave NW Washington, DC 20004-3027
Dear Lee:
I write to express my deep concern and dismay regarding the intention
of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWC) to
honor Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu with the WWC Public
Service Award. I am keenly aware of the need for greater cooperation
and understanding in the world arena, and I applaud the invaluable
work the WWC has done to build ties between America and intellectual
and political leaders from around the world.
These efforts truly celebrate the life and work of President Wilson,
and the United States benefits greatly from the WWC's success in
promoting effective international dialogue about vital issues and
building essential strategic relationships. The Congress has wisely
supported the WWC, contributing about a third of its annual revenue,
and I am committed to sustaining that effort.
I am, however, very strongly of the view that publicly honoring Foreign
Minister Davutoglu at this time is absolutely inconsistent-absolutely
inconsistent-with the mission of the WWC and the ideals that animated
President Wilson's administration and foreign policy. The actions and
statements of Foreign Minister Davutoglu stand in sharp contrast to
the legacy of President Wilson.
Turkey's foreign policy under Foreign Minister Davutoglu's leadership
is rife with illegality, irresponsibility and hypocrisy. Turkey
continues to not only deny the Armenian Genocide, but also to
criminalize recognition of it in Turkey. Worse, Ankara threatens to
break relations with states that acknowledge the role of the Ottoman
Empire in the deliberate annihilation of 1.5 million Armenians as
a matter of state policy. Turkey continues to militarily occupy
Cyprus and to work against U.S.-backed efforts by the United Nations
to resolve the conflict on that island. Turkey maintains a closed
border with Armenia and has made improved relations with Armenia a
political hostage to the conflict in Ngorno-Karabagh and denial of
the Armenian genocide.
Turkey recently voted against sanctions on Iran by the UN Security
Council despite clear evidence that Iran's nuclear program has
violated numerous UN Security Council resolutions, and both Iran's
nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency
safeguards agreement obligations. Turkey has politically backed both
the genocidal regime in Sudan and the genocide-denying regime in Iran.
Turkey has fanned the flames of instability in the Middle East by
rejecting Israeli efforts to channel humanitarian aid to Gaza through
Israeli ports in order to ensure weapons were not going to be shipped
to Hamas. Rather focusing its efforts on helping the people in Gaza,
Turkey has focused on demonizing the State of Israel.
Foreign Minister Davutoglu personally described the recent flotilla
incident as Turkey's 9/11, a sickening comparison of the unfortunate
deaths of nine radical anti-Israel activists who died while assaulting
Israeli commandos performing a legal blockade enforcement mission,
to the worst terrorist attack in history, which claimed 2,976 innocent
lives in my hometown, New York City. And, despite Turkey's own bitter
history fighting against Kurdish terrorism, which has led to Turkish
military operations well inside of Iraq, the Turkish government insists
that Hamas, a State Department designated terrorist organization known
for indiscriminate rocket fire on Israeli cities and suicide bombings
in Israeli restaurants, is not a terrorist organization at all.
A foreign leader who represents and defends this kind of foreign
policy, one who has championed Turkey's most odious efforts to deny
to others the human dignity that Turkey rightly expects for its own
people, is not a worthy recipient of the WWC Public Service Award.
In the interest of preserving the Woodrow Wilson International Center
for Scholars mission, namely, "advancing the ideals and concerns
of Woodrow Wilson" I strongly urge you to rescind the decision to
present Foreign Minister Davutoglu with the WWC Public Service Award.
Sincerely, Gary L. Ackerman Chairman Subcommittee on the Middle East
and South Asia
From: A. Papazian