PASADENA—An official from the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles met with a Pasadena City official in an effort to thwart plans by city to erect an Armenian Genocide monument. The Armenian National Committee of America Pasadena chapter issued a statement Wednesday denouncing Turkey’s brazen attempts to interfere in city government business. Below is the text of the announcement:
During the month of August, the Republic of Turkey initiated a meeting with the City of Pasadena to probe for information about the newly formed and independent Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee (PAGMC). The meeting took place at Pasadena City Hall between the Vice Consul of the Republic of Turkey in Los Angeles and the City’s management directors. Vice Consul Arif Celik’s consultation was politically driven stating that the government he represents held a “difference of opinion” about the Armenian Genocide.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Pasadena cannot let such statements go unchecked: the Armenian Genocide is a historical fact and will not be allowed to be subjected to “differences of opinions” or debate. The nation of Turkey should acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and not interfere with American politics, in American cities and proposed projects by American citizens and residents. Under the American Constitution, the citizens of states, cities, and towns acting through their elected officials, are empowered to conduct their civic affairs without the interference of foreign governments. The Turkish government, which is among the world’s worst violators of freedom of expression, consistently seeks, and has frequently succeeded at the federal level, in imposing a gag rule on American calls for a truthful and just resolution of the Armenian Genocide. The initiation of a meeting by a foreign nation’s officials with a local U.S. municipality is politically driven and, therefore, is deemed as an attempt to intervene in the affairs of our local American communities. Preserving heritage and memorializing ancestors who were killed by way of genocide is not subject to the political positions of foreign nations.
Pasadena has been home to Armenian-Americans for several decades, many of whom are descendants of the Armenian Genocide. In the past, the City of Pasadena has conducted an official census count of its Armenian-American residents and has amended its Affirmative Action ordinance to uphold Armenian-Americans as a Protected Class. In 1991, the City of Pasadena established the city of Vanadzor, Armenia as its sister-city and raised the Armenian Tri-color flag over Pasadena City Hall on May 28 to commemorate Armenia’s Day of Independence. For more than 30 years, the City of Pasadena has adopted resolutions and issued official proclamations to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.
It is intrusive for the republic of turkey to hold a political Interest over how local communities stand against various crimes Against humanity such as the 1915 Armenian genocide. The vested Interest of a foreign national government in local u.s. community Issues is invasive, unacceptable, and is viewed as an encroachment on American rights and values.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
Don’t blow the whistle when the whiff of intrigue first appears.
Wait.
Play dumb. See what persons holding the bag and their friends and consultants offer the politicians. Lay low. When somebody offers consideration or a bribe, go to the FBI and get a wire on the target or the premises. Wires can be planted anywhere. Then see if any crimes are committed. Then go to the press. Then hold a press conference. Catch them with their pants down.
Be jarbig.
Turks in Pasadena ?
You know my grand father he used to tell me the dog is a dog how cares if it is a black yellow
brown white is a dog the same things is the Turk’s is a Ottoman Turk Camels Turk or modern
Turk the bottom line is a Turk yesterday today and tomorrow they are Turk’s
the Turls r funny-denial is a disease-
The motherless Turkish freaks!
It is a shame if a Government commit genocide, seize territory of the local people, force them to change their believes and nationality, slaughter or deport them out of their lands and homes.
In the 21st century, still Turkey is denying the Genocide of Armenian people and trying to bribe and force governments to hide and forget the crimes committed by Turkish government in the passed centuries. Shame on Turkey.
This is doing Business the Turkish way
Good another loosing battle for Turkey. Focus on Mer Hoghereh.
Instead of spending so much time and effort to make money off of genocide fine, why don’t you guys spend that time and energy to rebuild friendship and trade. After World War II veterans in US swore not to buy anything made in Japan, including their automobiles. But then they forgave and forgot the war, the killings. Same with Japanese. Look at both countries now. Both benefit from each other. Japan and US are closest allies, economic partners. Look how prosperous they both are. I’m sure they wouldn’t achieve such prosperity if they kept digging, trying to prove who killed who. Why don’t you guys learn from them?!
In your situation friendship is even more important, because Turkey is your neighbor. Armenians who live in America are never gonna understand this. Why would they? They live in America, far away from hardship. They live easy life. But for the sake of Armenian people who live in Armenia you guys must rebuild friendship with Turkey, instead of blaming them for genocide. Overall, haven’t we all suffered and killed?
You are comparing apples and oranges. For your information, today, three quarters of the US is not called “Japan”. And Japan is not barking for a new empire which will include all of the USA. Neither is three quarters of Japan called the 51st US state. Neither Japan nor the US exterminated three quarters of the others population under genocidal acts disguised as war.
Yes, we all suffered and killed, but we all did not invent and implement the act off genocide, illegally occupy others’ countries, stole their culture, identity and property and continued to blackmail countries to deny crimes.
If you cared to post under your own name and identify yourself as a Turk, maybe “we guys” would not think you are hiding something. In any case, your Japanese vs USA comments and the standard Denialist phrase – ” trying to prove who killed who” – identify you as an Armenian Genocide Denying Turk, who knows nothing about Armenia. Last thing Armenia and Armenians need is advice from a Denialist Turk. You want to help Armenians ? leave occupied Western Armenia. We can take care of ourselves.
When Americans’ forget 9/11 then you can ask the Armenians to forget and forgive..
Sure!!! Yet they impose an embargo on Armenia just because they lost NKR!! (if they had won we would have been asked to move-on)
So it is the old :”Do as I say ,not as I do” lecture.
Let me turn the other cheek maybe they will be more humane this time??(ha!)We have not all developped the oppressor-victim sympathy syndrome.
What a brilliant idea!
We should ask the FBI, CIA, NSA, why go pursue any criminal? Why did they pursue the unibomber? Why kill Michael X? Why did they kill Osama? (Or did they? I think he is living in Istanbul making out with a bunch of Russian Olga’s), Why keep killing the taliban? or the ubiquitous number 2 man in al qaida? Why detain pedophiles? Why have the 10 most wanted list? Why prosecute and imprison rapists, burglars, murderers, any person who breaks the law? Why can’t we get the officers families that were killed by the unibomber, or any criminal, bring them home cooked meals every week?
You ask WHY! Because they are CRIMINALS and criminals regardless of what religion you believe in, need to be held responsible for their crimes and be punished for their CRIMES.
Trust me harif, Armenians don’t need advice, we give advice.
You should worry about why “turks” if there is such a people or race who pillaged, murdered, and committed genocide on our beloved holy lands are emigrating in the droves.
Instead of you spending so much of your time watching the grass grow and wonder how you can advise Armenians, ask yourself this question.
We killed them, raped them, burned their churches and schools, we took over their properties and belongings, we have desecrated and destroyed any evidence of their existence, We attempted to erase our mongoloid featues and we even tried to look like them, we were able to convince the US sate department to facilitate their emigration from the middle east and Armenia
Why the [email protected]@K are we leaving (asia minor( turkey) and settling in europe and america?
ABRIS! I could not say better than this….
Your email message is based upon two faulty analogies.
The first is that Turkey and Armenia were at war, that Armenia lost, and that her staggering losses of almost 3M people killed and the balance displaced between 1894 and 1923 are similar to the losses of Japan in WWII.
Armenia did not exist except in 1920 for a short time, and the bulk of Genocidal killing was done as Ottoman and Turkish state terror and action not upon a belligerent people, but upon her own citizens, the Greeks, the Pontics, the Assyrians and the Armenians. The theme that there was “Armenian-Turkish” conflict is one the Turkish state and its well heeled propagandists have dreamed up to distract from what the Turkish state did to its own civilians, many of whom also died defending the OE – see e.g. the story of Captain Torossyan, first hero of Gallipoli whose family was murdered by Turks.
The second flaw in your idiotic analogy is this; the United States sent scores of thousands of civilian and sworn personnel to work in the Reconstruction of Japan. Hundreds of millions were spent by Uncle Sam to help rebuild Japan. Turkey by contrast closed the border and has done everything possible to destroy Armenia.
But you know what, Mehmet or Ali or Murat: it won’t work. Armenians will adapt and overcome. We know who we are, we are adaptable, and we have survived for millenia.
2,000 years from now there will be Armenians. I’m not so sure the same will be true for Turks, but when you want advice on how to adapt and survive on your wits, ask us.
I wonder if the vice consul of turkey brought with him some turkish delight and some turkish coffee to try to sweeten the deal. After, all turkish coffee and turkish delight are turkish in origin.