[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 119 (Thursday, September 21, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H6901]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MARKING 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF REESTABLISHMENT OF INDEPENDENCE OF ARMENIA

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of 
order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from 
California is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, today marks the 15th anniversary of the 
reestablishment of the independence of the Republic of Armenia. On 
behalf of the tens of thousands of Armenia Americans in my district, 
the largest Armenia community outside of Armenia, ``Oorakh Angakhootyan 
Or,'' congratulations to the people of Armenia on a decade and a half 
of freedom.
  Building upon the foundations of the first Armenian Republic of 1918, 
today's Armenia has, in the years since it declared its independence 
from the disintegrating Soviet Union in 1991, strengthened democracy 
and the rule of law, promoted free-market reforms, and sought a just 
and lasting peace in a troubled region.
  With America's help, Armenia is overcoming the brutal legacy of 
Ottoman persecution, Soviet oppression, Azerbaijani aggression against 
Karabagh, and the ongoing dual blockades by Turkey and its allies in 
Baku.
  Recognizing this progress, John Evans, the former U.S. Ambassador, 
said in 2004, that ``Armenia now has well-founded hopes for a 
prosperous and democratic future.''
  I am proud of the role that the United States Congress has played in 
strengthening the enduring bond between the American and Armenian 
peoples. This special relationship is rooted in our shared values and 
experiences over the course of more than a century. Among these shared 
values are a commitment to democracy, tolerance, religious freedom, 
human rights and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
  In the 1890s, Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, 
traveled to Armenia to help the Armenian victims of massacres being 
perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkish Government.
  In 1915, as the Ottoman Empire began its campaign of genocide against 
the Armenian people, the U.S. Ambassador to Constantinople, Henry 
Morgenthau, documented and, at the risk of his own career, protested 
the ongoing massacres, death marches and other barbarities.
  Later, President Woodrow Wilson led the formation of the Near East 
Relief Foundation to help the survivors of the Armenian genocide, and 
spearheaded the international efforts to secure justice for the 
Armenian people and to support the first Republic of Armenia.
  Later, after the short-lived Republic of Armenia was annexed by the 
Soviet Union, Armenians here in America and around the world were key 
allies in our decades-long struggle against the Soviet threat to 
freedom. This cooperation contributed to bringing an end to the Soviet 
Union, to the rebirth of an independent Armenia, and to the democracy 
movement and self-determination of Karabagh.
  Armenia has made tremendous progress in building up a free-market-
oriented economy over the past decade and a half. According to the 
Heritage Foundation/Wall Street Journal Index of Economic Freedom, 
Armenia is consistently ranked as a free economy, and is currently the 
27th freest in the index's 2006 rankings.
  Recognizing this, the United States has named Armenia as one of only 
a handful of countries to have qualified for assistance through the 
Millennium Challenge Account, a program which targets development 
assistance to countries that rule justly, invest in their people and 
encourage economic freedom.
  Armenia has also sought to integrate itself in the world economy as a 
member of the World Trade Organization, and I was pleased to join many 
of my colleagues in working to extend the Permanent Normal Trade 
Relations status to Armenia.
  Armenia's economic accomplishments are more extraordinary when you 
factor in the crippling and illegal economic blockades imposed by 
Turkey and Azerbaijan. The blockades cost Armenia an estimated $720 
million a year and have forced more than 800,000 Armenians, close to a 
quarter of Armenia's population, to leave their homeland over the past 
decade.
  The biggest challenge Armenia faces is the hostility of its 
neighbors. While the primary threat from Turkey is economic and 
diplomatic, Azerbaijan has been far more bellicose. Both Armenia and 
Nagorno Karabagh have demonstrated their commitment to a peaceful 
resolution of the Karabagh conflict through the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe. In contrast, Azerbaijan has taken 
reckless steps that have contributed to instability in a region of 
strategic and economic importance.
  Armenia's Soviet past and the economic and security challenges it 
faces have impeded the country's progress towards full democracy and 
the rule of law. Those of us who care deeply about Armenia and the 
Armenian people must continue to help Armenia to perfect its 
institutions and expand the rule of law.
  Mr. Speaker, nobody knows the need for broad engagement with Armenia 
more than the Armenian-American community, which has strong ties to its 
ancestral homeland. Armenian Americans have made contributions to every 
aspect of American life. From investor Kirk Kerkorian to Ray Damadian, 
inventor of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, to the multiplatinum rock band 
System of a Down, Armenian-Americans have enriched our Nation. They are 
also committed to contributing to an ever brighter future for Armenia. 
I have been privileged to work with many of the community on ending 
this government's tragic failure to recognize the Armenian genocide, on 
ending the Turkish and Azerbaijani economic blockade, on securing aid 
to Armenia, and securing permanent normal trade relations with Armenia.
  Armenia has come a long way in 15 short years, and I look forward to 
much more progress in the years ahead.

                          ____________________