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AAA: Assembly Responds to Turkish Invitation for Dialogue

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  • AAA: Assembly Responds to Turkish Invitation for Dialogue

    Armenian Assembly of America
    122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
    Washington, DC 20001
    Phone: 202-393-3434
    Fax: 202-638-4904
    Email: [email protected]
    Web: www.armenianassembly.org
     
    PRESS RELEASE
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    April 2, 2004
    CONTACT: David Zenian
    E-mail: [email protected]

    ASSEMBLY RESPONDS TO TURKISH INVITATION FOR DIALOGUE

    Washington, DC - The Armenian Assembly leadership this week told a senior
    Turkish official it was ready to resume dialogue, but not during the month
    of April and not until a critical assessment of Turkish policy since the
    last exchange in June of 2003.

    Responding to an invitation by Ambassador Ecvet Tezcan, Assembly Board of
    Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian said dialogue without results is
    meaningless and therefore it was imperative to "lay out our objectives"
    prior to any future discussions.

    "The Armenian Assembly of America appreciates your invitation on behalf of
    your Foreign Ministry to continue our dialogue begun last June in New York,"
    Barsamian said in his reply to Ambassador Tezcan.

    "While our organization remains committed to continuing our full and frank
    exchanges on issues that presently divide us, the next meeting cannot take
    place during the month of April as you propose. As you are well aware, this
    solemn month for all Armenians is a time for remembrance of the Armenian
    Genocide. Your government's inexplicable denial policy remains unchanged,
    making it impossible to convene this month," Barsamian added.

    Similar meetings with Tezcan in June last year in New York and Los Angeles,
    that included in LA representatives from the Armenian General Benevolent
    Union (AGBU), and the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of America,
    underscored the community message that Armenian-Americans are united in
    their insistence that Turkey deal with the issue of the Armenian Genocide,
    establish normal relations with Armenia that are not dictated by the
    Azerbaijani position on Nagorno Karabakh and end restrictions and pressure
    on the Armenian minority in Turkey.

    After the June discussions, then-Assembly Board of Directors Chairman Peter
    Vosbikian said while there was no breakthrough, it still provided an
    opportunity for a "frank exchange of views" which "at minimum ... will
    prevent Turkey's friends from using an outright refusal to meet against us
    in their lobbying in Capitol Hill."

    "Turkey now needs to validate its dialogue and positive statements with
    deeds on all of the historic and contemporary questions that comprise the
    Armenia-Turkey agenda," Vosbikian said.

    But nearly ten months since the last face-to-face encounter, there has been
    no change in Turkish attitudes or behavior.

    "I know that you concur that dialogue without results is not in anyone's
    interest, and we need to lay out objectives prior to meeting. Your
    government's statements and actions on the Armenian Genocide since last
    June, the lack of movement on opening the border with Armenia despite calls
    from the Bush Administration and the European Union to do so, and, the
    failure to implement minority rights reforms, indicate that our dialogue
    must be more urgent and result oriented," Barsamian said.

    "Our organization looks forward to a more focused process that begins to
    deal with these and other pressing issues on our common agenda," Barsamian
    added in is response to the latest invitation for a new round of dialogue
    with the Turkish side.

    The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
    organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
    issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.


    ###


    NR#2004-033
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