ANCA have put out a press release endorsing John Kerry for President. This isn’t surprising, as Kerry is certainly the most friendly to the Armenian cause.

After the jump is the full press release:

In a move expected to impact electoral outcomes in key presidential election swing states this November, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the nation’s grassroots Armenian American organization, today announced its endorsement of the Kerry-Edwards ticket.

“For Armenian Americans, the clear choice is John Kerry,” said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. “Senator Kerry has been a friend of the Armenian American community for over twenty years, with a proven track record of fighting hard for issues of concern to Armenian Americans across the nation. He faces an incumbent, President Bush, whose record on Armenian issues has grown progressively more disappointing throughout his tenure in the White House, beginning with his broken campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide, including his Administration’s attempt to end military aid parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and up until this week, with his Administration’s strident attacks on legislation recognizing the Armenian Genocide.”

John Kerry welcomed the ANCA endorsement, stating that, “John Edwards and I would like to thank the ANCA for its endorsement. We are looking forward to working with all Armenian Americans to create a stronger America, more respected in the world.”

“We call upon Armenian Americans to compare the respective records of Senator Kerry and President Bush, to weigh the importance of their ballot for the future of U.S.-Armenian relations, and to cast their vote for the Kerry-Edwards ticket on November 2nd,” added Hachikian.

The ANCA endorsement follows closely in the wake of the Bush Administration’s forceful attack on the Schiff Amendment, a provision adopted last week by the U.S. House that prevents Turkey from using U.S. foreign aid to lobby against the Genocide Resolution. Armenian Americans, particularly those in key swing states such as Pennslyvania, Ohio, and Florida, are positioned to play a decisive role in what looks, by all accounts, to be a hotly contested election.

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ANCA’s Outreach to the White House and Republican Leaders
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The ANCA has, on several occasions over the past four years, specifically asked for a meeting between President Bush and the Armenian American community leadership. These formal requests, which never received a response, were supported by a series of ANCA and community-wide letters outlining the views and disappointments of Armenian Americans on specific issues, ranging from the Armenian Genocide to foreign aid policy.

In April of this year, the ANCA sent detailed letters to the Chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign, Marc Racicot, and the Congressional Republican leadership voicing disappointment over the Bush Administration’s record on Armenian issues, and expressing frustration with the lack of responsiveness by the White House to the concerns of the Armenian American community. The ANCA’s concerns were grouped, in this letter, into three broad categories:
1) unfulfilled commitments, 2) opposition to community concerns, and 3) failure to prioritize Armenian issues.

The Senate and House letters, addressed to House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), highlighted the powerful leadership demonstrated by a great many Republicans on Armenian issues, notably by Armenian Caucus Co- Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Genocide Resolution author George Radanovich (R-CA), and Senators such as Mitch McConnell (R-KY), John Ensign (R-NV), George Allen (R-VA), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), and many others. These letters included more than a dozen specific recommendations by the ANCA about how the Congressional leadership could encourage the White House to improve its standing among Armenian American voters.

Neither the President nor his campaign responded to the ANCA’s appeal for their intervention to help establish a constructive dialogue between the Administration and the Armenian American community.

For additional information on the ANCA’s outreach to Republican leaders concerning the Bush Administration’s record on Armenian issues, visit: http://www.anca.org/anca/pressrel.asp?prid=554&pressregion=anca

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ANCA Backs Up Endorsement by Calling
for Greater Grassroots Activism
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Along with its Presidential endorsement, the ANCA reminded Armenian Americans that their ability to impact policy-level decision-making depends, first and foremost, on the continued expansion of advocacy efforts at all levels of government. The ANCA’s detailed Congressional endorsements, which will be announced later this year, will represent an important element of this process by providing Armenian American voters with the information they need to solidify the strong support our community enjoys in Congress.

“The challenge before the Armenian American community, as in years past, remains growing our activism and strengthening our voice in the public policy debates and within the foreign policy community,” said Hachikian. “We call upon Armenian Americans to meet this challenge by increasing our engagement with the Executive Branch and providing the strongest possible support for our friends in the U.S. House and Senate on November 2nd and throughout the 109th Congress.”

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The Kerry Record
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During his long tenure in the US House and Senate, Senator Kerry has consistently been a leading advocate of issues of concern to Armenian Americans. As a U.S. Senator, Kerry has forcefully fought for U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, and is currently a cosponsor of the Genocide Resolution, S.Res.164. In 1990, Senator Kerry voted on the Senate floor for Senator Bob Dole’s (R-KS) Genocide Resolution.

The Massachusetts Senator has been a vocal and effective champion of stronger U.S.-Armenia relations and has consistently backed legislative initiative to increase aid and expand trade with Armenia. He is currently a cosponsor of legislation, S.1557, which would grant Armenia permanent normal trade relations status.

Senator Kerry has spearheaded a number of initiatives to lift the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades. In 1991, he was the lead sponsor of legislation, which was later enacted as Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, restricting U.S. aid to the government of Azerbaijan until its blockades of Armenia and Mountainous Karabagh are lifted. He also worked for the adoption of the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, which called for US aid to Turkey to be cut off unless Turkey lifted its blockade of Armenia. As recently as this January, Senator Kerry formally called on President Bush to press the visiting Prime Minister of Turkey to lift his nation’s illegal blockade of Armenia.

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The Bush Record
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The full text of the Armenian American Presidential Report Card on the Administration of George W. Bush is provided below:

1) Broken campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide

Almost immediately after taking office, President Bush abandoned his campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide. This promise, which he made in February of 2000 as Texas Governor, was widely distributed among Armenian Americans prior to the hotly contested Michigan primary. It read, in part, as follows: “The twentieth century was marred by wars of unimaginable brutality, mass murder and genocide. History records that the Armenians were the first people of the last century to have endured these cruelties. The Armenians were subjected to a genocidal campaign that defies comprehension and commands all decent people to remember and acknowledge the facts and lessons of an awful crime in a century of bloody crimes against humanity. If elected President, I would ensure that our nation properly recognizes the tragic suffering of the Armenian people.”

Rather than honor this promise, the President has, in his annual April 24th statements, used evasive and euphemistic terminology to avoid describing Ottoman Turkey’s systematic and deliberate destruction of the Armenian people by its proper name - the Armenian Genocide.

2) Opposition to the Congressional Genocide Resolution

The Bush Administration is actively blocking the adoption...

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