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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton invited Armenian-American
organizational representatives to discuss the Armenia-Turkey
protocols. Her invitation, however, focuses on the grouping of
Armenian organizations that have supported the protocols, with
the exception of the Armenian National Committee of America.
The invitation sent to the Armenian Assembly
of America, the North America Dioceses, the AGBU, the Knights of
Vartan and the ANCA is seen as a response to an ANCA-initiated
letter by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging Clinton to
give Armenian-Americans “an opportunity to share their views
with you.”
Aside from the ANCA, all the groups invited
to the meeting jointly signed a letter in support of the
US-backed protocols.
In his letter Reid also emphasized
Armenian-American concerns on the protocol-mandated formation of
a commission to study the Armenian Genocide.
Missing from the list of invitees are the
North American Prelacies of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the
Armenian Relief Society, the Armenian Youth Federation, the
Armenian Democratic League (Ramkavar party), the
Social-Democratic Hunchakian Party and the countless other
organizations that joined a cross-section of the community in
opposing the protocols during mass demonstrations in New York
and Los Angeles during the now infamous Diaspora tour by
Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkisian.
In a letter to Secretary Clinton, ANCA
chairman Ken Hachikian on Monday expressed “serious concern”
saying the invitation to the meeting, scheduled for Feb. 9,
“does not represent our traditional community leadership nor
does it reflect the widely understood Armenian American
opposition to the Turkey-Armenia Protocols.”
“As presently configured, the meeting you
have proposed will not serve the vital and worthwhile aim of
healthy discourse, and would, at this sensitive moment, in fact
be counter-productive. The current arrangement, which, by all
appearances, intentionally excludes so many of our traditional
community and Church leaders on the basis of their views and
values, would set an undemocratic and highly negative
precedent,” added Hachikian in his letter.
“Our community’s traditional leadership
group, as you may know, met with President Clinton in 1994 and
has, collectively, signed a series of letters to the White House
over the past two decades, including as recently as President
Obama’s inauguration. The organizations that signed our
community’s congratulatory letter to President Obama on his
inauguration, in addition to the groups that you have invited to
meet with you – namely the Armenian Assembly, ANCA, Eastern U.S.
and Western U.S. Diocese of the Armenian Church, Armenian
General Benevolent Union, and the Knights of Vartan – include:
the Eastern U.S. and Western U.S. Prelacies of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, Apostolic Exarchate for Armenian Catholics,
Armenian Evangelical Union of North America, Armenian Missionary
Association of America, Armenian Relief Society, Armenian Bar
Association, Armenian International Women’s Association,
Armenian Rights Council of America, Armenian Youth Federation,
Hamazkayin Armenian Cultural & Education Association, Homenetmen
Armenian General Athletic Union, Tekeyan Cultural Association,
United Armenian Fund, and the U.S.-Armenia Public Affairs
Committee,” continued ANCA.
“I respectfully call upon you to reconsider
your initial arrangements for your first meeting with Armenian
American leaders. An open, inclusive meeting – one that allows
for the full expression of the Armenian American perspective –
will, we are confident, serve all of our hopes and aspirations
for lasting peace and justice in the region,” urged Hachikian.
In an August 20 letter to Clinton, the ANCA
asked for a meeting with all community members to discuss what
was then a “roadmap.”
“Thank you for your consideration of our
views. We respectfully request an immediate personal meeting
between you and the Armenian American community’s civic,
religious, and charitable leaders so that we can address these
matters in greater detail.”
Clinton’s and the State Department’s blatant
disregard for popular voices of the community and their
insistence to meet with a group whose majority has come out in
support of the dangerous protocols, signals that the Obama
Administration is unwilling to have a serious dialogue about
this critical matter that will impact the future of Armenia and
the Armenian Nation.
By ignoring the vast cross-section of the
community, Clinton’s invitation appears to be a mere gesture to
appease her long-time colleague Reid and, once again, tramples
on the many Obama campaign promises for inclusion, dialogue and
transparency.
Leaders of the organizations that have been
marginalized by this invitation should demand that their strong
voices are also heard by the State Department and the meeting is
not, by and large, a gathering of yes-men who traditionally have
parroted the State Department’s agenda in the community.
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