Montebello, CA – Local ANC activist Maro Siranosian met with Representatives Grace Napolitano of California’s 38th District on July 24th to discuss issues of importance to the Armenian Community. Accompanying Siranosian were ANC representatives Suzy Bezikian, Mike Gedjeyan, Raffi Kassabian, Razmig Tchaghlasian, and ANCA Government Affairs Director Abraham Niziblian.

During the meeting at Rep. Napolitano’s Washington, D.C. office the ANC activists thanked the Congresswoman for her continued support and for cosponsoring H.Res. 193, a resolution marking the 15th anniversary of the U.N. Genocide Convention. They also thanked her for cosponsoring H.Res. 528, a bill that would establish permanent normal trade relations between the U.S. and Armenia. Other issues discussed during the meeting included improving opportunities of underprivileged children, tax cuts, and small business development.

Siranosian, Bezikian, and Gedjeyan are in Washington, DC as part of the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship. The Congresswoman spent a majority of the time inquiring about their interests and expressed a sincere desire to help them with the projects that each of them is working on in DC.

Two of the activists, Raffi Kassabian and Maro Siranosian, former interns at the Congresswoman’s district office. During the meeting, Rep. Napolitano set up a video link with her district office, giving the Kassabian and Siranossian an opportunity to speak with local staff.

After the forty-five minute meeting, the Congresswoman invited the ANC activists to lunch at the Congressmembers-only dining room, where they had the opportunity to greet several California House Members.

Representative Napolitano, a member of the Armenian Caucus, is serving her third term in Congress and has been a consistent supporter of Armenian American concerns. In addition to her support for H.Res.193 and H.R.528, Rep. Napolitano joined 168 of her Congressional colleagues earlier this year in urging President Bush to acknowledge and properly characterize the Turkish atrocities committed against Armenians from 1915-1923 as “Genocide.”