Armenia this week
Congressional panel gives strong endorsement to Genocide affirmation
The International Relations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved last week two bills affirming the U.S. record on the Armenian Genocide and urging Turkey to address the tragedy. Armenia hailed the development and urged a full congressional affirmation of the Genocide. As in the past, the vote came amid opposition by Turkish government lobbyists.
Co-Chairs of the Armenian Congressional Caucus Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), as well as Caucus members George Radanovich (R-MI) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) championed the House Resolution 316, which received the endorsement of 140 House members and 40 to 7 approval in the committee. The U.S. State Department said that while the Bush Administration “mourns the forced exile and annihilation of approximately 1.5 million Armenians… as one of the great tragedies in human history” it “did not support” the congressional involvement, arguing that it might undermine Turkish-Armenian rapprochement.
But the committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL) disagreed with this reasoning, expressing his conviction that “it is in the interests of the United States and of Turkey and Armenia both that we take the lead in dealing with this paralyzing legacy [of the Genocide]. And we must start with recognition of the truth. For there is no possibility that this problem can ever be overcome if we seek to ground any solution on silence and forgetting.” In a reversal of his past position, the Committee’s ranking member Tom Lantos (D-CA) also voted for the legislation.
Congressmen also condemned Ankara for prosecution of world-renowned Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk, who faces up to three years in prison for publicly referring to the Armenian Genocide in an interview. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) called the prosecution “as wrong as it is incredible.”
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan criticized the House committee’s decision in a meeting with Jewish American organizations on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. According to the pro-government Turkey daily Zaman, Erdogan “demanded Jewish support against Armenians,” pointing to Turkey’s importance for Israel.
In 2000, a similar bill on the Armenian Genocide passed the International Relations Committee, but it was withdrawn from full House consideration after Turkey threatened to suspend anti-terrorism cooperation with the U.S. Earlier this year, shortly before the April 24 statement by President George W. Bush, the Turkish government approved the request for expanded U.S. use of the Incirlik Air Base on Turkish territory. According to the Turkish media at the time, the decision and its timing were part of Ankara’s effort to keep the Genocide term out of Bush’s statement.
While the United States Congress and senior officials have repeatedly condemned the Armenian Genocide in the past, Armenia’s leading Turkey expert Ruben Safrastian suggested that the U.S. may still trade its position on the current resolution for a more cooperative Turkish stance on Iraq and other foreign policy priorities.
Armenia outranks neighbors in human development, business openness
Armenia continues to lead its region in economic reform and social progress, according to reports by the United Nations and the World Bank. Despite built-in geographic constraints and modest natural resources, as well as blockades by Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia has also registered five straight years of double-digit growth. The government estimated an almost 12 percent increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the seven months of 2005. Foreign investments have also grown by 12 percent to $140 million for the first half of the year.
According to the United Nations’ “Human Development Index,” which measures life expectancy, education level and average income, Armenia ranked 83rd out of 177 nations. Armenia’s immediate neighbors, Turkey, Iran, Georgia and Azerbaijan, ranked 94th, 99th, 100th and 101st, respectively. Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian called the annual ranking a “report card” and welcomed the fact that it noted progress in Armenia, which “is doing better than [many] expected.” He stressed, however, that the government was not satisfied with the social and economic status quo, pledging further democratic reforms and alleviation of poverty.
The “Doing Business 2006” report prepared by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) put Armenia 46th in the ranking of 155 countries in terms of “ease of doing business.” The IFC ranked Russia - 79th, Turkey – 93rd, Azerbaijan – 98th, Georgia – 100th, and Iran – 108th. The same report ranked Armenia 9th in the world for the ease of registering property and 41st for starting a business. The annual “Economic Freedom Index,” jointly prepared by the Wall Street Journal and the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, also ranked Armenia repeatedly ahead of its region, most recently as 42nd of 161 countries surveyed.
The Armenian Assembly of America
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