WASHINGTON, DC – Three-term Michigan House Member Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI-11) pledged his support for legislation concerning Turkey’s 15-year blockade of Armenia during a meeting this week with Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) activists.

The resolution, H.R. 6079, introduced by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA-29), requires the State Department to submit a report outlining the steps taken and plans made by the United States to end Turkey’s blockade of Armenia.

During the thirty-minute meeting, Michigan resident Nieri Avanessian, ANCA Government Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian, and activist Zori Eurdekian thanked Rep. McCotter for his support of Armenian American concerns and especially his cosponsorship of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (H. Res. 106). The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss other issues of interest, including continued US aid to Armenia, reducing military assistance to Azerbaijan, and self-determination for the people of Nagorno Karabagh.

Avanessian, who lives in Rep. McCotter’s hometown of Livonia, drew a personal tie with the Congressman on local issues. “Rep. McCotter continues to be a vocal advocate of Armenian-American concerns. We appreciate the strong example he sets for his Congressional colleagues on issues of human rights,” stated Avanessian.

A member of the Republican leadership and chairman of the Republican House Policy Committee, Rep. McCotter has cosponsored a number of resolutions of importance to the Armenian-American community including H. Res. 3361, the South Caucasus Integration and Open Railroads Act, and H. Res. 3127, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. Over the years, Rep. McCotter has also diligently participated in Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observances.

Avanessian is in Washington, DC, participating in the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship Program, an eight-week intensive program designed to give student leaders and activists the tools necessary to effectively advance Armenian American concerns on campus and in their communities. It is an integral part of the ANCA Capital Gateway program, a year-round internship / job placement service which provides Armenian Americans greater opportunities to explore careers on Capitol Hill, in the U.S. Foreign Service and key Washington, DC foreign policy think tanks. To learn more about the ANCA Capital Gateway Program, visit: https://www.anca.org/gateway/gateway_overview.php

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Photo Caption: Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) with ANC Michigan activist Nieri Avanessian.