WASHINGTON, DC – Former North Carolina Senator and Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards added his voice to the list of Presidential candidates calling for passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
In his January 24th letter to the ANCA, Sen. Edwards stated that, “I support the Congressional resolution declaring the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 a genocide.” Edwards went on to note that, “we must also continue to strengthen our relationship with Turkey, an important democratic ally against the forces of tyranny in the region.” Remarking on U.S.-Armenia relations, Edwards stated that, “As President, I will prioritize our special relationship with Armenia and the goal of a lasting peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the entire region.”
As a Senator, John Edwards cosponsored successive Armenian Genocide Resolutions beginning in 2002. He also supported Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan due to its ongoing blockades of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. His advocacy on behalf of the family of 17-year-old Nataline Sarkisyan, who died after her insurance company denied funding for a liver transplant, has been warmly received by Armenian Americans around the country.
To learn more about the John Edwards campaign, contact:
John Edwards for President
410 Market Street, Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Tel: (919) 636-3131
http://www.johnedwards.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 anca@anca.org.
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TEXT OF JOHN EDWARDS LETTER TO ANCA ON ARMENIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
John Edwards 08
January 24, 2008
Aram Suren Hamparian
Executive Director
Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N St., NW
Washington, DC 20036
Dear Mr. Hamparian,
Thank you for contacting me regarding my positions on issues of importance to Americans of Armenian descent. I am proud of my record in the U.S. Senate fighting hard for the concerns of our nation’s one and a half million Americans of Armenian heritage. In the Senate, I stood against threats to Armenia’s security, including the blockades it continues to endure. As President, I will prioritize our special relationship with Armenia and the goal of a lasting peace to Nagorno Karabagh and the entire region.
I strongly believe that the United States must stand for telling the truth about all genocides. I support the Congressional resolution declaring the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 a genocide. We must also continue to strengthen our relationship with Turkey, an important democratic ally against the forces of tyranny in the region. The resolution should therefore be integrated with a comprehensive diplomatic effort to make sure that our friends in Turkey today understand that the resolution is not aimed at them but instead at atrocities committed almost a century ago by the Ottoman Empire.
In addition, I have recently come to know the family of Nataline Sarkisyan, a young woman who died after her family was denied funding for a liver transplant by her insurance company. The Armenian American community has embraced the Sarkisyan family, and it has been a privilege to work with Americans of Armenian descent in sharing Nataline’s tragic story and in emphasizing the desperate need to establish a universal health care system in the United States.
Thank you for the opportunity to address these important issues.
Sincerely,
John Edwards
