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Armenian Assembly of America News
1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://armenianassembly.tumblr.com/
The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. - September 4, 2014
By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant)
AAANews Blog
September 4, 2014
HOUSE: The House is in the last week of the summer recess and will
return next Monday, September 8th. Although Congress will only be in
session for two weeks before the midterm election, there are many
legislative issues left to address, most importantly: funding the
government. Although both chambers have adopted fiscal year (FY) 2015
appropriations bills that cover funding for Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh http://bit.ly/1lNC7r3, Congress has been unable to wrap up
the annual appropriations process. The House has passed seven out of
twelve appropriations bills, while the Senate has passed zero. As FY
2014 is set to end on September 30th, Congress is expected to pass a
stop-gap spending package at current levels that, according to House
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), will fund the government until sometime
in early December.
In addition to appropriations, some sort of immigration reform/child
migrant crisis resolution, reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank, and
dealing with the growing threat of the Islamic State are all big
ticket issues on the agenda.
- WHAT ABOUT PRO-ARMENIAN LEGISLATION?: In the 113th Congress, two
pro-Armenian measures were introduced in the U.S. House of
Representatives: H.R. 4347, the Turkey Christian Churches
Accountability Act, and H. Res. 227, the Armenian Genocide Truth &
Justice Resolution. Under Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), H.R. 4347 passed
the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 26, 2014
http://bit.ly/UNolL9. It is now up to Speaker Boehner to schedule the
bill for a vote. At this time, it remains to be seen if the Speaker
will bring this important, international religious freedom legislation
to the House floor before Congress adjourns for the midterm
election. However, there is still the possibility that H.R. 4347
receives full consideration after the election. Congress is scheduled
to return on November 12th for a lame-duck session to conclude the
113th Congress. Recall that in 2011, the House passed H. Res. 306,
which similarly calls on Turkey to return confiscated Christian
property - albeit on less stringent terms - during the lame duck of
the 112th Congress. http://bit.ly/1waTANm The Armenian Assembly of
America continues to advocate for full passage of H. R. 4347, the
Turkish Christian Churches Accountability Act of 2014.
The Armenian Genocide Truth & Justice Resolution, H. Res. 227,
currently has 52 cosponsors and is still pending in the House Foreign
Affairs Committee. This resolution differs greatly from previous
Armenian Genocide resolutions that gathered close to 200 cosponsors
and that which passed said committee in 2010, 2007, 2005 and
2000. These more recent resolutions were mirrored off the
Assembly-backed S.J. Res. 212, a Senate resolution commemorating the
75th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and reaffirming the
U.S. record, back in 1990.
SENATE: Like the House, the Senate will return from recess next
Monday. In addition to resolving the major issues mentioned above, the
Senate will look to confirm a slew of ambassadorial nominations,
including posts in Yerevan, Baku, and Ankara.
- FORMER SENATOR JIM JEFFORDS PASSES AT 80: On August 18th, the
political world was saddened by the death of former U.S. Senator James
Jeffords of Vermont. His death was widely noted as he represented a
principled voice in United States national politics for over 30 years
before retiring in 2007 because of health problems. For Americans of
Armenian descent, however, Jeffords was also a part of a different
political history. In the 101st Congress, Senator Jeffords was an
original cosponsor of S.J.Res. 212, a bill marking the 75th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and reaffirming the U.S. record
http://bit.ly/1lG61Aj.
- AMBASSADOR WATCH: Despite what some Armenian organizations would
have you believe, the Senate adjourned for the month-long August
recess without confirming John R. Bass as the next U.S. ambassador to
Turkey, not because Senators believe he warranted additional scrutiny,
but simply because they ran out of time. With over 50 posts vacant
around the world, the Senate was only able to confirm one top-priority
nominee prior to the recess, the U.S. ambassador to Russia. Some
Armenian media outlets mistakenly reported that Bass denied the
Armenian Genocide during his confirmation hearing, even though he
faced no questions on the Armenian Genocide at that hearing. Bass'
nomination is likely to be confirmed in the coming weeks, according to
sources familiar with his nomination. For more on Bass see here:
http://bit.ly/1omXhcT. You can also watch Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
grill Bass (no pun intended) on Erdogan's drift toward
authoritarianism here: http://bit.ly/1xggpUa.
In addition, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), under
Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ), has yet to hold confirmation hearings
on President Obama's nominees for ambassador to Armenia and
Azerbaijan, Richard M. Mills, Jr. and Robert F. Cekuta,
respectively. The SFRC is expected to schedule their confirmation
hearings in the next two weeks. For more on Mills see here
http://bit.ly/1r3hHxZ and for more on Cekuta see here
http://bit.ly/1omXhcT.
- PENDING LEGISLATION: On April 10th, the SFRC passed S. Res. 410, the
Armenian Genocide resolution http://bit.ly/1gQP8cR. Introduced by
Chairman Menendez, it currently has 10 cosponsors and awaits a vote on
the Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), a long
time advocate of Armenian American issues and a cosponsor of
S. Res. 410, has not yet scheduled a vote on the bill. The Senate
operates under different rules than the House, making it much more
difficult to pass an Armenian Genocide resolution. A single Senator
can place a hold on the measure, effectively blocking its passage.
WHERE THEY'VE BEEN - ANKARA, BAKU: Last week, Armenia's Foreign
Minister, Eduard Nalbandian, attended the inauguration of President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following his victory in the first direct
election of that nation's president. After the inauguration,
Nalbandian walked over to Erdogan and personally handed him an
invitation letter from Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to attend the
Armenian Genocide centennial commemoration in Yerevan on April 24,
2015 http://bit.ly/Z4S6Jx.
As is customary in Turkish politics, the new leader is expected to
visit the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and
Azerbaijan in his first trip abroad. In Baku, Erdogan met with
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. Among various issues discussed, the
two Turkic leaders pledged to support each other in their
international campaign to smear Armenians. According to media reports,
Erdogan promised to raise the Nagorno Karabakh issue at the upcoming
NATO summit taking place in Newport, Wales, September 4-5. At the
summit, Erdogan is planning to `demand [of NATO] the fulfillment of
promises to Azerbaijan' on Nagorno Karabakh
http://bit.ly/1lK8yJD. Which begs the question, what promises has NATO
given to Azerbaijan on Nagorno Karabakh?
For more on NATO-Azerbaijan relations, see Gevorg Shahbazyan and Peter
Kechichian's analysis `NATO and Azerbaijan: an Unbalanced Partnership'
here http://bit.ly/1qOfsLy.
The two authoritarian rulers also promised to do their utmost to
advance denial of the Armenian Genocide in the run up to the
centennial anniversary next year. `Turkey and Azerbaijan work in a
coordinated manner to dispel the myth of the `Armenian genocide' in
the world,' Azerbaijani ruler Ilham Aliyev tweeted after his meeting
with Erdogan http://bit.ly/Z8Hr0w.
WHERE THEY'RE GOING - NEWPORT, ANKARA: As mentioned above, the NATO
summit in Wales started today. President Obama was flanked by
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Secretary of State John
Kerry. President Obama's personal attendance comes on the heels of a
trip to Eastern Europe. Armenian President Sargsyan announced this
week that he plans to attend the summit and delivered remarks. It was
just announced that Secretary Kerry held a tri-lateral meeting today
with Sargsyan and Aliyev to discuss the Nagorno Karabakh conflict on
the sidelines of the summit http://bit.ly/1o2u9Io.
Following the NATO summit, Defense Secretary Hagel will travel to
Ankara next week where he is expected to press the Turkish government
to help confront the Islamic State http://1.usa.gov/Z5RovF.
HAPPY IN KARABAKH: Remember the `Happy in Yerevan' song? You know, the
Armenian spoof of Pharrell Williams' `Happy' song that was produced by
the U.S. Embassy in Armenia? Well, it looks like happiness is
contagious, and Karabakhtsis have no immunization
http://bit.ly/1pFfCIV. And if you still need more happiness in your
life, check out the `Making of Happy in Karabakh,' which your Agenda
writers found more entertaining than the actual music video
http://bit.ly/1m3uGMq.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN WASHINGTON:
- Thursday, September 11: The Woodrow Wilson Center, `Turkey's
Presidential Elections 2014 - What do they mean for Turkey's
democratization process, the Kurdish question and Turkey's foreign
policy?' http://bit.ly/Whn7rB.
LAST STATE PRIMARIES OF 2014 CYCLE: Voters in Delaware, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, and Rhode Island will head to the polls next Tuesday,
September 9th to elect their respective party nominees, closing out
the primary season.
DAYS UNTIL GENERAL ELECTION: 61
ARMENIAN CONGRESSIONAL TRIVIA: Who was the first Armenian American
elected to the U.S. Congress? Bonus points if you can tell me what
party and state he/she represented. The first person to correctly
respond will get a shout out in the next edition of Assembly Agenda.
Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to
[email protected]. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter
@Taniel_Shant and follow the Armenian Assembly of America @ARAMAC_DC.
GET THE ASSEMBLY AGENDA emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone, or other
mobile device instantly. Just enter your email address here
http://www.aaainc.org/index.php?id=286
Available online at: http://bit.ly/1o3CZ8K
1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://armenianassembly.tumblr.com/
The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. - September 4, 2014
By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant)
AAANews Blog
September 4, 2014
HOUSE: The House is in the last week of the summer recess and will
return next Monday, September 8th. Although Congress will only be in
session for two weeks before the midterm election, there are many
legislative issues left to address, most importantly: funding the
government. Although both chambers have adopted fiscal year (FY) 2015
appropriations bills that cover funding for Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh http://bit.ly/1lNC7r3, Congress has been unable to wrap up
the annual appropriations process. The House has passed seven out of
twelve appropriations bills, while the Senate has passed zero. As FY
2014 is set to end on September 30th, Congress is expected to pass a
stop-gap spending package at current levels that, according to House
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), will fund the government until sometime
in early December.
In addition to appropriations, some sort of immigration reform/child
migrant crisis resolution, reauthorization of the Ex-Im Bank, and
dealing with the growing threat of the Islamic State are all big
ticket issues on the agenda.
- WHAT ABOUT PRO-ARMENIAN LEGISLATION?: In the 113th Congress, two
pro-Armenian measures were introduced in the U.S. House of
Representatives: H.R. 4347, the Turkey Christian Churches
Accountability Act, and H. Res. 227, the Armenian Genocide Truth &
Justice Resolution. Under Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), H.R. 4347 passed
the House Foreign Affairs Committee on June 26, 2014
http://bit.ly/UNolL9. It is now up to Speaker Boehner to schedule the
bill for a vote. At this time, it remains to be seen if the Speaker
will bring this important, international religious freedom legislation
to the House floor before Congress adjourns for the midterm
election. However, there is still the possibility that H.R. 4347
receives full consideration after the election. Congress is scheduled
to return on November 12th for a lame-duck session to conclude the
113th Congress. Recall that in 2011, the House passed H. Res. 306,
which similarly calls on Turkey to return confiscated Christian
property - albeit on less stringent terms - during the lame duck of
the 112th Congress. http://bit.ly/1waTANm The Armenian Assembly of
America continues to advocate for full passage of H. R. 4347, the
Turkish Christian Churches Accountability Act of 2014.
The Armenian Genocide Truth & Justice Resolution, H. Res. 227,
currently has 52 cosponsors and is still pending in the House Foreign
Affairs Committee. This resolution differs greatly from previous
Armenian Genocide resolutions that gathered close to 200 cosponsors
and that which passed said committee in 2010, 2007, 2005 and
2000. These more recent resolutions were mirrored off the
Assembly-backed S.J. Res. 212, a Senate resolution commemorating the
75th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and reaffirming the
U.S. record, back in 1990.
SENATE: Like the House, the Senate will return from recess next
Monday. In addition to resolving the major issues mentioned above, the
Senate will look to confirm a slew of ambassadorial nominations,
including posts in Yerevan, Baku, and Ankara.
- FORMER SENATOR JIM JEFFORDS PASSES AT 80: On August 18th, the
political world was saddened by the death of former U.S. Senator James
Jeffords of Vermont. His death was widely noted as he represented a
principled voice in United States national politics for over 30 years
before retiring in 2007 because of health problems. For Americans of
Armenian descent, however, Jeffords was also a part of a different
political history. In the 101st Congress, Senator Jeffords was an
original cosponsor of S.J.Res. 212, a bill marking the 75th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and reaffirming the U.S. record
http://bit.ly/1lG61Aj.
- AMBASSADOR WATCH: Despite what some Armenian organizations would
have you believe, the Senate adjourned for the month-long August
recess without confirming John R. Bass as the next U.S. ambassador to
Turkey, not because Senators believe he warranted additional scrutiny,
but simply because they ran out of time. With over 50 posts vacant
around the world, the Senate was only able to confirm one top-priority
nominee prior to the recess, the U.S. ambassador to Russia. Some
Armenian media outlets mistakenly reported that Bass denied the
Armenian Genocide during his confirmation hearing, even though he
faced no questions on the Armenian Genocide at that hearing. Bass'
nomination is likely to be confirmed in the coming weeks, according to
sources familiar with his nomination. For more on Bass see here:
http://bit.ly/1omXhcT. You can also watch Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
grill Bass (no pun intended) on Erdogan's drift toward
authoritarianism here: http://bit.ly/1xggpUa.
In addition, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), under
Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ), has yet to hold confirmation hearings
on President Obama's nominees for ambassador to Armenia and
Azerbaijan, Richard M. Mills, Jr. and Robert F. Cekuta,
respectively. The SFRC is expected to schedule their confirmation
hearings in the next two weeks. For more on Mills see here
http://bit.ly/1r3hHxZ and for more on Cekuta see here
http://bit.ly/1omXhcT.
- PENDING LEGISLATION: On April 10th, the SFRC passed S. Res. 410, the
Armenian Genocide resolution http://bit.ly/1gQP8cR. Introduced by
Chairman Menendez, it currently has 10 cosponsors and awaits a vote on
the Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), a long
time advocate of Armenian American issues and a cosponsor of
S. Res. 410, has not yet scheduled a vote on the bill. The Senate
operates under different rules than the House, making it much more
difficult to pass an Armenian Genocide resolution. A single Senator
can place a hold on the measure, effectively blocking its passage.
WHERE THEY'VE BEEN - ANKARA, BAKU: Last week, Armenia's Foreign
Minister, Eduard Nalbandian, attended the inauguration of President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following his victory in the first direct
election of that nation's president. After the inauguration,
Nalbandian walked over to Erdogan and personally handed him an
invitation letter from Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to attend the
Armenian Genocide centennial commemoration in Yerevan on April 24,
2015 http://bit.ly/Z4S6Jx.
As is customary in Turkish politics, the new leader is expected to
visit the unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and
Azerbaijan in his first trip abroad. In Baku, Erdogan met with
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev. Among various issues discussed, the
two Turkic leaders pledged to support each other in their
international campaign to smear Armenians. According to media reports,
Erdogan promised to raise the Nagorno Karabakh issue at the upcoming
NATO summit taking place in Newport, Wales, September 4-5. At the
summit, Erdogan is planning to `demand [of NATO] the fulfillment of
promises to Azerbaijan' on Nagorno Karabakh
http://bit.ly/1lK8yJD. Which begs the question, what promises has NATO
given to Azerbaijan on Nagorno Karabakh?
For more on NATO-Azerbaijan relations, see Gevorg Shahbazyan and Peter
Kechichian's analysis `NATO and Azerbaijan: an Unbalanced Partnership'
here http://bit.ly/1qOfsLy.
The two authoritarian rulers also promised to do their utmost to
advance denial of the Armenian Genocide in the run up to the
centennial anniversary next year. `Turkey and Azerbaijan work in a
coordinated manner to dispel the myth of the `Armenian genocide' in
the world,' Azerbaijani ruler Ilham Aliyev tweeted after his meeting
with Erdogan http://bit.ly/Z8Hr0w.
WHERE THEY'RE GOING - NEWPORT, ANKARA: As mentioned above, the NATO
summit in Wales started today. President Obama was flanked by
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Secretary of State John
Kerry. President Obama's personal attendance comes on the heels of a
trip to Eastern Europe. Armenian President Sargsyan announced this
week that he plans to attend the summit and delivered remarks. It was
just announced that Secretary Kerry held a tri-lateral meeting today
with Sargsyan and Aliyev to discuss the Nagorno Karabakh conflict on
the sidelines of the summit http://bit.ly/1o2u9Io.
Following the NATO summit, Defense Secretary Hagel will travel to
Ankara next week where he is expected to press the Turkish government
to help confront the Islamic State http://1.usa.gov/Z5RovF.
HAPPY IN KARABAKH: Remember the `Happy in Yerevan' song? You know, the
Armenian spoof of Pharrell Williams' `Happy' song that was produced by
the U.S. Embassy in Armenia? Well, it looks like happiness is
contagious, and Karabakhtsis have no immunization
http://bit.ly/1pFfCIV. And if you still need more happiness in your
life, check out the `Making of Happy in Karabakh,' which your Agenda
writers found more entertaining than the actual music video
http://bit.ly/1m3uGMq.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN WASHINGTON:
- Thursday, September 11: The Woodrow Wilson Center, `Turkey's
Presidential Elections 2014 - What do they mean for Turkey's
democratization process, the Kurdish question and Turkey's foreign
policy?' http://bit.ly/Whn7rB.
LAST STATE PRIMARIES OF 2014 CYCLE: Voters in Delaware, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, and Rhode Island will head to the polls next Tuesday,
September 9th to elect their respective party nominees, closing out
the primary season.
DAYS UNTIL GENERAL ELECTION: 61
ARMENIAN CONGRESSIONAL TRIVIA: Who was the first Armenian American
elected to the U.S. Congress? Bonus points if you can tell me what
party and state he/she represented. The first person to correctly
respond will get a shout out in the next edition of Assembly Agenda.
Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to
[email protected]. If you don't already, please follow me on Twitter
@Taniel_Shant and follow the Armenian Assembly of America @ARAMAC_DC.
GET THE ASSEMBLY AGENDA emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone, or other
mobile device instantly. Just enter your email address here
http://www.aaainc.org/index.php?id=286
Available online at: http://bit.ly/1o3CZ8K