[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22491]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                 12TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN REPUBLIC

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FRANK PALLONE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2003

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Armenian 
Republic on the nation's Twelfth Anniversary of Independence. Today, 
citizens of Armenia, as well as people of Armenian descent here in the 
United States and around the world celebrate their independence from 
the former Soviet Union.
  Since its independence, nations have welcomed Armenia into the 
international. I am proud that this Congress has consistently voted to 
provide humanitarian economic development assistance to help Armenia 
transition to the development of civil society and to continue its 
transition to a free market economy.
  The United States has a fundamental national interest in bringing 
about stability in the strategically located Caucasus region and in 
supporting those emerging nations like Armenia that share our values. 
We must redouble our efforts to ensure that the tensions in the region 
subside and that the long-standing differences that divide the 
countries of the region are resolved. Winners and losers in the 
Caucasus will only foster greater insecurity and instability at a time 
when we need to bring everyone together to combat terrorism. I have 
been encouraged by Armenia's ongoing attempts to reach out to its 
neighbors--Turkey and Azerbaijan--in a constructive manner.
  Mr. Speaker, the story of the Armenian people is an unforgettable 
story of triumph over adversity and tragedy. Earlier in this century, 
in one of history's most horrible crimes against humanity, 1.5 million 
Armenian men, women and children were slaughtered by the Ottoman 
Turkish Empire. We must continue to remind the world that this genocide 
is an historic fact--despite the efforts of so-called ``revisionists,'' 
many of them funded by the Turkish government, to deny the truth--and 
to make sure that our Nation, the world community, and especially the 
Turkish nation come to terms with and appropriately commemorate this 
historic fact.
  Mr. Speaker, it was the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 that 
allowed the Armenian people to re-establish a state and a nation, to 
create a society where their language, culture, religion and other 
institutions would prosper. The people of Armenia have endeavored to 
build a free and proud nation, based on the principles of democracy and 
a market economy.
  The tiny, landlocked Republic of Armenia is surrounded by hostile 
neighbors, who have imposed blockades halting the delivery of basic 
necessities and greatly hindering economic development. Despite the 
dual blockades, Armenia continues to implement economic and democratic 
reforms. During the first 6 months of this year, Armenia's Gross 
Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 12.5 percent in 2002. And during 
the last year, both the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank 
have publicly noted Armenia's economic progress.
  Despite this progress, I would like to say that the economic reality 
of daily life for the people of the Republic of Armenia continues to be 
extremely hard.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that as we mark future Independence Days of the 
Republic of Armenia, we can look back with pride on building peace and 
prosperity in the entire Trans-Caucasus region, so that the people of 
Armenia and their neighbors can enjoy a stable and hopeful future. I 
hope that the Republics of Turkey and Azerbaijan will respond 
positively to Armenia's repeated offers to normalize relations. 
Specifically, I hope that Turkey will allow for the exchange of 
diplomats and allow the free flow of goods and people across the 
borders. And I hope that, with the active participation of the United 
States, we will resolve the Nagorno Karabagh conflict, in a manner that 
guarantees the security and self-determination of the people of 
Karabagh.
  Finally, I wish the Armenian people well on the occasion of their 
independence day, and, more important, in their ongoing effort to 
establish good relations with its neighbors and build a vibrant 
democracy so that their children may prosper in the homeland of their 
ancestors.

                          ____________________