[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 125 (Thursday, September 23, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1941-E1942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                COMMEMORATING ARMENIA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL McCOLLUM

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 23, 1999

  Mr. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, we commemorate modern Armenia's eighth 
independence day--counted since the collapse of the U.S.S.R. This 
independence is a long overdue recognition by the world community of a 
proud and ancient people. Since independence, Armenia continued to face 
numerous challenges--from the economic and political blockade 
orchestrated by Azerbaijan and Turkey, to the war with Azerbaijan, to 
the lingering socio-economic legacy of the horrendous earth-quake of 
1988. Nevertheless, Armenia has overcome these existential threats, 
establishing itself as a functioning democracy, and can now feel 
sufficiently secure to look forward to charting and determining its own 
progress into the next millennium.
  As a young modern nation for an ancient people, Armenia should rely 
on its rich heritage for inspiration and guidance. Since the dawn of 
history, Armenians have held to their land despite repeated 
occupations, oppression and slaughter. They have retained their 
distinct heritage, language, culture and Church. All this time, 
Armenians have not only yearned for independence or self-determination 
but have repeatedly paid a heavy price in numerous attempts to realize 
these aspirations.

[[Page E1942]]

  Armenia is one of the oldest peoples with a recorded history. 
According to tradition anchored in the Bible, Armenia is the place 
where Noah's Ark set down on Mt. Ararat and where life was resurrected 
on earth. Ultimately, Armenia's is a documented history of one of the 
oldest nations that has retained distinct political entry for close to 
three thousand years. In the early 6th Century B.C., Prophet Jeremiah 
spoke about the ``Kingdom of Ararat'' as one of the key states that 
would challenge and ultimately break the dominance of the Babylonian 
Empire. In the 4th Century B.C., the great Greek commander Xenophon 
wrote about a distinct political entity called Armenia within the 
Persian sphere of influence through which he marched his troops on 
their way back to Greece.
  Since the 2nd Century B.C., Armenia constituted the northern tier of 
imperial advances--initially of the Romans, the Selucids, and the 
Parthians; and then of all the successor empires. Throughout these 
times, Armenians have repeatedly tried to assert self-determination 
against repeated campaigns of empires determined to consolidate 
dominance over this most important geo-strategic asset. For the next 
two millennia, Armenia was destined to become a key battleground 
between the Empires of Eurasia for the control over the geo-strategic 
road junction between West (Europe) and East (Heart of Asia), North 
(Russia) and South (Middle East).
  Armenia's acceptance of Christianity in the early 4th Century A.D. 
constitutes a turning point. Armenia was the first country to adopt the 
socio-political connotations of Christianity, leading King Tiridates to 
establish an independent state. However, given Armenia's geo-strategic 
importance, neither the Romans nor the Persians permitted the existence 
of an independent Armenia. Indeed, by the end of the 4th Century, 
Armenia was partitioned between the two leading empires of that era--
Rome and Persia. Since then, and essentially until the end of the Cold 
War, Armenia repeatedly succumbed to bigger armies and bigger states or 
empires--all coveting the geo-strategic key locale that Armenia is.

  By the 6th Century, despite Armenia's loss of independence, the 
Armenian Church separated itself from Rome in order to ensure the 
people's distinct and unique character. This distinction has since 
enabled Armenians to endure the prevail even as eastern Christendom 
succumbed to the advent of Islam and its civilization was lost forever. 
All this time, Armenian civilization and cultural legacy has been 
maintained by the Church through the countless invasions, occupations, 
destructions and mass killings that would impact Armenia until the late 
20th Century.
  The lait motif in this brief history is simple: a small people 
steadfastly holding to their land and heritage as their country is 
repeatedly subjected to occupations because of its unique geo-strategic 
importance. As Bismarck once said: ``Of all the elements that make up 
history, geography is the one that never changes.'' We, the U.S. and 
the West, still need this geo-strategic road junction. But unlike 
empires of past, we must secure it not through occupation but through 
the empowerment and support of the true ``owners'' of this land--the 
Armenians. They have demonstrated throughout their history their 
determination to hold to independence against overwhelming odds. It is 
in our national interest to help the Armenians safeguard their current 
freedom and independence.
  Armenia is now independent as the consequence of the determination, 
commitment and sacrifices of its own people. Its geo-strategic location 
remains as important as ever before. And although the tenuous cease-
fire with Azerbaijan is holding, Armenia's overall security posture is 
worsening. The entire Caucasus is now being set aflame by Islamist 
radicalism. The Islamist leaders of the insurrection in Dagastan have 
repeatedly vowed to ``liberate'' and ``cleanse'' the entire Caucasus of 
the presence of non-Muslims so that they can establish a unified Muslim 
state. Moreover, the flames of terrorism and radicalism not only affect 
Russia--now subject to Islamist terrorism and subversion--but also 
penetrate and profoundly affect Turkey, an allay and a NATO member. 
Further more, this eruption has a direct bearing on vital economic 
interests of the U.S. and its closest allies. The Caucasus is the 
West's primary gateway to the energy resources of the Caspian Sea basin 
and Central Asia--a region commonly known as the Persian Gulf of the 
21st Century. An Islamist state in the Caucasus is bound to endanger 
the West's freedom of access to these energy resources.
  Hence, it is imperative for the U.S. to have a bulwark of stability 
in this crucial geo-strategic road junction. The U.S. needs an ally in 
place that is not susceptible to the lure of, and/or vulnerable to the 
ruthlessness of, the rising Islamist militancy. Determined to remain a 
loyal member of the West without forsaking its distinct heritage and 
culture, independent Armenia is uniquely eligible to be as such a 
bulwark. Now, on the eve of the next millennium, it is imperative for 
us to ensure the growth, development and betterment of Armenia so that 
a strong and free Armenia continues to serve as a source of stability 
and Judeo-Christian civilization, as well as Western security and 
economic interests, in this most important and increasingly volatile 
region. It it therefore, in our national security interest to ensure 
that Armenia's eighth independence day is just one of many more to 
come.

                          ____________________