02/25/09 - Circulated Dear Colleague against H. Res. 252 -

Dear Colleague,

I would like to draw your attention to the attached Reuters article from January 21, ?Armenia Says Close To Mending Ties With Turkey.?

I am writing to highlight positive comments by the Armenian Foreign Minister regarding progress in Armenia-Turkey bilateral discussions currently underway to normalize diplomatic relations.

On that note, I respectfully ask for your careful consideration of the proposed Armenian genocide resolution, a resolution that holds that the inhumanity in the inter-communal war in 1915 was one-sided. I am naturally troubled by the assertions in the resolution, which would endorse one side of a historic dispute between Armenia and Turkey, thus undermining today?s normalization process.

With the number of challenges in the region critical to U.S. national security ? spanning from Russia, to Iraq, to Afghanistan, and Iran - the United States cannot afford at this time to derail these hopeful efforts. On the contrary, we should nurture and encourage them.

I am greatly encouraged by the interest of Turkey?s highest ranking official, President Abdullah Gul, in bilateral progress, as evidenced by his personal visit to Armenia last September.
I look forward to continuing to monitor closely Armenia-Turkey relations, and I encourage a successful bilateral resolution of their issues, to the benefit of political stability in the region.

Sincerely,

Eddie Bernice Johnson
Member of Congress

January 21, 2009

Armenia Says Close To Mending Ties With Turkey

YEREVAN (Reuters) -- Armenia said on January 21 it was very close to normalising relations with neighboring Turkey after a century of hostility.

The comments by Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian followed similarly optimistic remarks by his Turkish counterpart last week.

The two countries have no diplomatic ties and in 1993 Ankara closed their land border in a show of solidarity with ally Azerbaijan, which was fighting Armenian-backed separatists over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Relations have been haunted by the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I, which ex-Soviet Armenia says amounted to genocide. Ankara denies there was genocide.

But there has been a flurry of diplomacy in recent months, including a visit by Turkish President Abdullah Gul to Yerevan in September to attend a football match between the two countries.

'We are very close to normalising Armenian-Turkish relations,' Nalbandian told a news conference. 'We can take the next step and resolve the issue if Turkey, like Armenia, approaches it without preconditions and opens the border,' he said.

'After the border opens, we are ready to form a commission in which we can discuss issues relevant to both countries.'

Since its war with Russia last year raised questions about Georgia's role as a safe transit route for oil and gas exports from the Caspian Sea, Armenia is being eyed as a potential alternative.

Better ties between the neighbours would also boost Ankara's European Union membership bid. Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said in a television interview on January 16 normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey and Armenia and Azerbaijan was no longer 'a dream.'

'I can easily say we have never come this close to a plan regarding the final normalisation of relations with Armenia,' he said.

5/22/2009 - Allison Shulman of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP emailed Murat Gokcigdem regarding an invitation to lunch with the Turkish Ambassador..

5/29/2009 - Allison Shulman of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP emailed Murat Gokcigdem regarding an invitation to lunch with the Turkish Ambassador..

6/1/2009 - Allison Shulman of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP emailed Murat Gokcigdem regarding an invitation to lunch with the Turkish Ambassador..

6/30/2009 - Lydia Borland of the Caspian Group LLC called and emailed Murat Gokcigdem (Chief of Staff) regarding US-Turkish relations.

7/11/2009 - Albert Wynn of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP phoned Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson regarding possible statement on Cyprus.

7/20/2009 - Lydia Borland of the Caspian Group LLC called and emailed Murat Gokcigdem (Chief of Staff) regarding US-Turkish relations.

7/23/2009 - Albert Wynn of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP emailed Murat Gokcigdem regarding Dear Colleague letter.

9/10/2009 - Albert Wynn of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP emailed Murat Gokcigdem regarding invitation to luncheon hosted by Congressional Study Group on Turkey.

9/20/2009 - Albert Wynn of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP phoned Murat Gokcigdem regarding Turkish Ambassador's upcoming lecture at Howard University.

10/5/2009 - Lydia Borland of the Caspian Group LLC met with Murat Gokcigdem (Chief of Staff regarding US-Turkish relations.

10/7/2009 - Albert Wynn of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP phoned Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson regarding Turkish Ambassador's upcoming lecture at Howard University.

10/11/2009 - Janice O'Connell of the Gephardt Group Government Affairs, LLC emailed Chris Crowe (Legislative Assistant) regarding signing of Armenia Turkey normalization protocols.

2/1/2010 - Albert Wynn of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP phoned Murat Gokeigdem US-Turkish relations.

2/24/2010 - Lydia Borland of the Caspian Group LLC teleconferenced Murat Gokcigdem (Chief of Staff) regarding US-Turkish relations.

2/25/2010 - Albert Wynn of the Dickstein Shapiro, LLP emailed Murat Gokeigdem US-Turkish relations.

3/4/2010 - Lydia Borland of the Caspian Group LLC teleconferenced Murat Gokcigdem (Chief of Staff) regarding US-Turkish relations.

3/10/2010 - Lydia Borland of the Caspian Group LLC met with Murat Gokcigdem (Chief of Staff) regarding US-Turkish relations.