PLEASE USE THIS PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 9, 2019
Contact: Danielle Saroyan Ashbahian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Web: www.aaainc.org
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA SUPPORTS
GRAHAM AND VAN HOLLEN BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO SANCTION TURKEY OVER SYRIA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly) supports bipartisan legislation proposed by United States
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to sanction Turkey for
invading northern Syria and attacking civilian areas with Turkish warplanes,
just days after the United States withdrew its troops from the Syrian border
with Turkey.
The Graham-Van Hollen Turkey Sanctions
Bill puts restrictions on U.S. assets of Turkey’s President, Vice President,
Minister of National Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Treasury
and Finance, Minister of Trade, and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
The bill also sanctions military transactions with Turkey and the Turkish energy
sector, prohibits U.S. military assistance, and implements visa restrictions upon
Turkish authorities intending to travel to the United States.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
attack on northern Syria directly targets the Kurdish population and ethnic
minorities in the region, including Armenians, Assyrians, Yazidis, and other vulnerable
minority groups. The Syrian Democratic Forces, which is a coalition of Kurdish,
Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, Syrian Turkoman, and Chechen militias, led by the
Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), said: "They are all in threat of
being ethnically cleansed, and this in turn will not lead to any political
solutions."
“The Armenian Assembly of America joins
the legitimate concerns raised and is thoroughly committed to reversing
President Donald Trump’s decision to leave America’s Kurdish allies and other
ethnic minorities, including Armenians and Assyrians, in precarious conditions
in northern Syria. Turkey’s attack against innocent civilians is all too
familiar. Erdogan stated earlier this year that he believed the deportations
that led to the 1915 Armenian Genocide to be ‘reasonable.’ He also considers
the Republic of Turkey to be a continuation of the Ottoman Empire, which
implemented the Armenian Genocide. Turkish authorities have never acknowledged their
ancestors’ role in the Armenian Genocide, as the Germans have done, and are pursuing
the same goals of land grabbing and ethnic cleansing in Syria,” Armenian
Assembly of America Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian said.
“We applaud this important bipartisan legislation
proposed by Senators Graham and Van Hollen. Turkey is not acting as an ally of
the United States. It has continued the genocidal policies of the Ottoman
Empire and has been openly supporting ISIS. It is about time that the American
government recognizes that Turkey is an unreliable ally,” the Armenian Assembly
Co-Chairs added.
During his presidential campaign,
President Trump called out Turkey for conducting business with ISIS. President
Trump stated that the Turkish government “looks like they’re on the side of
ISIS more or less based on the oil.”
“We witnessed Erdogan’s readiness to
work with ISIS in 2014 when Turkey allowed ISIS militants to easily cross the
Turkish-Syrian border and attack the Armenian village of Kessab in the Latakia
region of Syria – all done with Turkey’s support. Turkey has no business in
Syria, and is causing even more innocent Syrian citizens to flee for their
lives. Armenia has welcomed more than 20,000 Syrian refugees, and continues to
be a safe haven in the region. Just last week, the world’s largest Yazidi
temple opened in Armenia, founded by refugees escaping violence in Syria. Armenia
needs the United States’ support to continue helping these minority populations
in northern Syria, especially the Christians who survived the Armenian Genocide
at the beginning of the 20th century, and are themselves experiencing
the same type of ethnic cleansing today from Turkey and ISIS,” Armenian
Assembly Co-Chairs Barsamian and Krikorian concluded.
Established in 1972, the Armenian
Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization
promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly
is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
###
NR# 2019-058
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 9, 2019
Contact: Danielle Saroyan Ashbahian
Telephone: (202) 393-3434
Web: www.aaainc.org
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA SUPPORTS
GRAHAM AND VAN HOLLEN BIPARTISAN LEGISLATION TO SANCTION TURKEY OVER SYRIA
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America
(Assembly) supports bipartisan legislation proposed by United States
Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) to sanction Turkey for
invading northern Syria and attacking civilian areas with Turkish warplanes,
just days after the United States withdrew its troops from the Syrian border
with Turkey.
The Graham-Van Hollen Turkey Sanctions
Bill puts restrictions on U.S. assets of Turkey’s President, Vice President,
Minister of National Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Treasury
and Finance, Minister of Trade, and Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
The bill also sanctions military transactions with Turkey and the Turkish energy
sector, prohibits U.S. military assistance, and implements visa restrictions upon
Turkish authorities intending to travel to the United States.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
attack on northern Syria directly targets the Kurdish population and ethnic
minorities in the region, including Armenians, Assyrians, Yazidis, and other vulnerable
minority groups. The Syrian Democratic Forces, which is a coalition of Kurdish,
Arab, Assyrian, Armenian, Syrian Turkoman, and Chechen militias, led by the
Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), said: "They are all in threat of
being ethnically cleansed, and this in turn will not lead to any political
solutions."
“The Armenian Assembly of America joins
the legitimate concerns raised and is thoroughly committed to reversing
President Donald Trump’s decision to leave America’s Kurdish allies and other
ethnic minorities, including Armenians and Assyrians, in precarious conditions
in northern Syria. Turkey’s attack against innocent civilians is all too
familiar. Erdogan stated earlier this year that he believed the deportations
that led to the 1915 Armenian Genocide to be ‘reasonable.’ He also considers
the Republic of Turkey to be a continuation of the Ottoman Empire, which
implemented the Armenian Genocide. Turkish authorities have never acknowledged their
ancestors’ role in the Armenian Genocide, as the Germans have done, and are pursuing
the same goals of land grabbing and ethnic cleansing in Syria,” Armenian
Assembly of America Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian said.
“We applaud this important bipartisan legislation
proposed by Senators Graham and Van Hollen. Turkey is not acting as an ally of
the United States. It has continued the genocidal policies of the Ottoman
Empire and has been openly supporting ISIS. It is about time that the American
government recognizes that Turkey is an unreliable ally. The U.S. needs to stop
turning a blind eye to the dangers of Erdogan’s Turkey,” the Armenian Assembly
Co-Chairs added.
During his presidential campaign,
President Trump called out Turkey for conducting business with ISIS. President
Trump stated that the Turkish government “looks like they’re on the side of
ISIS more or less based on the oil.”
“We witnessed Erdogan’s readiness to
work with ISIS in 2014 when Turkey allowed ISIS militants to easily cross the
Turkish-Syrian border and attack the Armenian village of Kessab in the Latakia
region of Syria – all done with Turkey’s support. Turkey has no business in Syria,
and is causing even more innocent Syrian citizens to flee for their lives.
Armenia has welcomed more than 20,000 Syrian refugees, and continues to be a
safe haven in the region. Just last week, the world’s largest Yazidi temple
opened in Armenia, founded by refugees escaping violence in Syria. Armenia
needs the United States’ support to continue helping these minority populations
in northern Syria, especially the Christians who survived the Armenian Genocide
at the beginning of the 20th century, and are themselves experiencing
the same type of ethnic cleansing today from Turkey and ISIS,” Armenian
Assembly Co-Chairs Barsamian and Krikorian concluded.
Established in 1972, the Armenian
Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization
promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly
is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
###
NR# 2019-058
