[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 54 (Tuesday, April 20, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H2140-H2141]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              A STRONG U.S.-ARMENIAN PARTNERSHIP IS NEEDED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, among the international dignitaries coming 
to Washington this weekend to take part in the NATO summit will be 
President Robert Kocharian of the Republic of Armenia. Although Armenia 
is not currently a member of NATO, President Kocharian, like other 
leaders of new democracies that were captive nations under the Soviet 
bloc, has been invited to Washington as part of the Partnership for 
Peace program.
  As NATO celebrates its first half century, and particularly now, with 
NATO forces involved in the first combat operation in the history of 
the alliance, it is important for us to consider how we can make NATO a 
meaningful force for peace and security in the next century. We 
recently took our first major step towards changing the composition of 
the alliance to recognize the realities of the post-Cold War by 
admitting three former Warsaw Pact nations: Poland, Hungary and the 
Czech Republic. We need to continue this momentum by identifying other 
democratic nations whose security is important to the United States, 
who may wish to join NATO in the future.
  While Armenia may be a small country, its importance as a strategic 
asset for the Western alliance should not be minimized. In the months 
and years following the summit, I hope we will see greater efforts to 
build on the U.S.-Armenian relationship, and along these lines, I will 
be circulating a letter among the Members of the House asking the 
President to devote greater attention to establishing a strong U.S.-
Armenian partnership.

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. Speaker, Armenia would be a logical candidate for future NATO 
expansion, and in the short term, as a closer partner on a wide range 
of security issues. Armenia is a pro-western Nation, despite its years 
as part of the Soviet Union. President Kocharian is a legitimately 
elected head of state who

[[Page H2141]]

must answer to a democratically-elected parliament and be held 
accountable to a free press.
  Despite a lack of experience with democracy and despite the security 
threats posed by hostile nations, Armenia is moving rapidly to 
establish the institutions of civil society and democratic governments.
  On the domestic economic front, Armenia has moved aggressively with a 
privatization campaign. Small businesses are blossoming. Armenia's 
success as a free democracy in a region of the world where both of 
these qualities are lacking makes it a notable example of an emerging 
Nation that has embraced many of our values against very daunting odds.
  On the security front, Mr. Speaker, NATO Secretary General Javier 
Solano has already met with Armenia defense and national security 
officials. Armenia's central location at the crossroads between Asia 
and Europe has been recognized by American officials and our allies, 
but we need to pay more attention.
  Armenia has also earned increased respect from the United States and 
the Western alliance for its constructive role in the Nagorno Karabagh 
conflict.
  As I have mentioned in this Chamber on several occasions, Nagorno 
Karabagh is an Armenian-populated region that has declared its 
independence, but is still claimed by the neighboring Republic of 
Azerbaijan. A bloody war was fought earlier in this decade, with the 
Karabagh Armenians successfully defending their homelands. A ceasefire 
was accepted by both sides in 1994, but a political settlement has not 
been reached.
  Under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the 
United States is a cochair of the negotiating group formed to resolve 
this conflict.
  The United States and our OSCE partners have put forward a peace plan 
to resolve this conflict. Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh have both 
accepted the American-supported plan as a basis for negotiation, and 
Azerbaijan unfortunately has rejected the approach. Considering how 
policymakers in Congress and the administration have identified an 
establish the Caucasus region as a vital interest, we should do more to 
reward those countries which are willing to work constructively to 
resolve longstanding differences.
  Mr. Speaker, President Kocharian's visit coincides with an important 
and tragic date. April 24 is solemnly commemorated as the anniversary 
of the unleashing of the genocide by the Ottoman Turkish empire of 1915 
through 1923 that ultimately claimed the lives of 1.5 million 
Armenians.
  There will be a reception tomorrow evening in commemoration of the 
genocide, as well as a series of speeches by Members of Congress. We 
cannot allow the world to forget the genocide. The lesson of the 
Armenian genocide should not be lost on us as we witness the 
heartbreaking TV images from Kosovo. Truly, a major justification for 
the NATO campaign is to try to ensure that the 20th century, which 
began in genocide, not end in genocide.
  Back in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, when Armenians were 
being murdered and deported, and their homes and communities burned and 
destroyed, and all record of the Armenian presence erased, there was no 
Western alliance of democracies like NATO committed to stopping 
aggression, brutality and genocide.
  I just want to say in conclusion, I want to take this opportunity to 
express my admiration for our men and women in uniform who are fighting 
to stop the horrible ethnic cleansing of the Kosovar Albanians. At the 
same time, I urge the administration to assert far more pressure on 
Azerbaijan to constructively participate in the Nagorno Karabagh peace 
process.
  As we remember the martyrs of the Armenian genocide, and as we 
witness the tragic events unfolding today in the Balkans, we must do 
all in our power to prevent another genocide in the mountains and 
valleys of Nagorno-Karabagh.

                          ____________________