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ANCA: McCain Shares Views with Armenian American Voters

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  • ANCA: McCain Shares Views with Armenian American Voters

    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
    February 2, 2008
    Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
    Tel: (202) 775-1918


    SENATOR McCAIN SHARES VIEWS WITH ARMENIAN AMERICAN VOTERS


    -- Letter to ANCA Condemns Murder of as Many as One and a Half
    Million Armenians; Falls Short of Armenian Genocide Recognition

    -- Romney Campaign Shares prior Gubernatorial proclamations on
    Armenian Genocide


    WASHINGTON, DC - Republican Presidential hopeful John McCain, in a
    letter sent today to the Armenian National Committee of America
    (ANCA), reached out to Armenian American voters by outlining his
    views on issues of special concern to the Armenian American
    community.

    The Arizona Senator's letter, while notably falling short of
    properly characterizing the Armenian Genocide, condemns the "the
    brutal murder of as many as one and a half million Armenians under
    the rule of the Ottoman Empire," and praises the Armenian American
    community for "ensuring that one of the greatest tragedies of the
    20th century is never forgotten." The longtime legislator and
    Vietnam War veteran wrote that:

    "It is fair to say that this tragedy, the brutal murder of as many
    as one and a half million Armenians under the rule of the Ottoman
    Empire, has also been one of the most neglected. The suffering
    endured by the Armenian people during that period represented the
    prologue to what has come to be known as humanity's bloodiest
    century."

    Senator McCain described "the rise of independent Armenia from such
    painful experiences" as "extremely inspirational," and praised "the
    vibrancy of the Armenian diaspora." He went on to express his deep
    admiration for "both Armenia's support of coalition operations in
    Iraq and NATO peacekeeping efforts in Kosovo, as well as the
    Armenian-American community's great contributions to our nation.
    In my visits to Armenia, I have been deeply impressed by the
    tremendous progress made in very difficult circumstances." He
    closed his letter by expressing that he "greatly appreciate[s] this
    opportunity and look forward to working with the Armenian-American
    community in my campaign and as the next President of the United
    States."

    As a Senator, John McCain has opposed the Armenian Genocide
    Resolution and has not generally been proactive in supporting other
    elements of the Armenian American legislative agenda. At a town
    hall meeting in New Hampshire on Sunday, January 6, 2008 Senator
    McCain was reported to have answered a question on the Armenian
    Genocide by noting that he recognizes the Armenian Genocide, but
    opposes the Armenian Genocide Resolution due to the Turkish
    government's sensitivities. In correspondence with Arizona
    constituents he wrote, in October of 2007, that, "Condemning modern
    Turkey for the acts of the Ottoman Empire would serve only to harm
    relations with the Turkish people while injecting the Congress into
    the sensitive role of historian of a period clearly preceding the
    births of all but a very few congressmen. That is not a
    development I wish to help facilitate."

    In 1989, Senator McCain introduced legislation supporting a
    peaceful and fair settlement of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict and
    later supported Section 907 and the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act.
    In 1999, however, he voted against maintaining Section 907.

    In February of 2000, Senator McCain wrote, in an earlier campaign
    letter to the ANCA, that he condemned "the systematic murder of as
    many as one and a half million Armenians," and welcomed "Armenia's
    emergence as an independent nation and its growth as a democracy."
    He also discussed his 1997 visit to Armenia, during which he "was
    fortunate to witness . . . the gains that country has made since it
    achieved independence from the former Soviet Union," and noted his
    "sincere desire to continue to forge the closest relations between
    Armenia and the United States."

    The Romney for President campaign has shared with the ANCA copies
    of proclamations made by Gov. Romney during his tenure as
    Massachusetts governor. While the first three statements during
    his four years in office properly described the Armenian Genocide
    as genocide, his fourth and final statement refrained from using
    the accurate terminology. To date, the Romney for President
    campaign has not issued any statement on issues of concern to the
    Armenian American community.

    The McCain campaign can be contacted at the following coordinates:
    John McCain 2008
    P.O. Box 16118
    Arlington, VA 22215
    Tel: 703-418-2008
    Website: http://www.johnmccain.com/

    The full text of Senator McCain's letter is provided below.

    The Romney campaign can be contacted at the following coordinates:

    Romney for President
    P.O. Box 55899
    Boston, MA 02205-5899
    Phone: (857) 288-6400
    http://www.mittromney.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].

    #####

    February 1, 2008

    Aram Hamparian
    Executive Director
    Armenian National Committee of America
    1711 N Street, NW
    Washington, DC 20036

    Thank you for contacting me regarding my views on issues of special
    concern to the Armenian-American community - a community which has
    contributed richly to the American fabric and has been instrumental
    in ensuring that one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century
    is never forgotten.

    It is fair to say that this tragedy, the brutal murder of as many
    as one and a half million Armenians under the rule of the Ottoman
    Empire, has also been one of the most neglected. The suffering
    endured by the Armenian people during that period represented the
    prologue to what has come to be known as humanity's bloodiest
    century.

    Therefore, the rise of independent Armenia from such painful
    experiences is extremely inspirational, as is the vibrancy of the
    Armenian diaspora. In particular, I deeply admire both Armenia's
    support of coalition operations in Iraq and NATO peacekeeping
    efforts in Kosovo, as well as the Armenian-American community's
    great contributions to our nation. In my visits to Armenia, I have
    been deeply impressed by the tremendous progress made in very
    difficult circumstances.

    I greatly appreciate this opportunity and look forward to working
    with the Armenian-American community in my campaign and as the next
    President of the United States.

    Sincerely,

    John McCain
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