PHILIP GORDON MAY BE APPOINTED ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EUROPEAN AND EURASIAN AFFAIRS

The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) commends Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) for his tough questioning of Philip Gordon, President Barack Obama's nominee to replace Daniel Fried as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in the U.S. Department of State, during today's Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing, the Assembly told PanARMENIAN.Net. Senator Menendez, an ardent supporter of Armenian-American issues, when questioning Gordon expressed reservations about his record on the Armenian Genocide by referencing a November 2007 article wherein Gordon wrote: "As if tensions with Turkey were not already strained enough by the Iraq war and the Kurdish issue, moves in the US House of Representatives to recognise a Turkish 'genocide' against Armenians in 1915 have stoked the sense of crisis." Menendez added that he has "concern when there is a veto by a foreign government over domestic policies and policies of the United States including the Congress of the United States. And [has] a real concern that those who would be in a position of authority would actually seek to fashion that... I'm concerned that at the end of the day there will not be an appropriate balance here if you were to be confirmed by the Senate. Can you speak to that for me?" Gordon responded with an acknowledgement that Menendez had "raised a number of issues that I know are very important to you, to this committee and to the administration. You quoted comments of mine on Armenia and the suggestion that these Congressional measures would provoke a nationalistic backlash in Turkey which analytically I think is accurate which is what I was writing. I have been at a think tank for a number of years and that's what we do, we analyze. And I was making the analytical statement that such a resolution would provoke a nationalistic backlash in Turkey. "You suggested the need for balance and I absolutely agree, and I absolutely agree that the United States and Congress and citizens, including in Turkey, need to recognize that a terrible tragedy took place, that more than a million and a half people were driven from their homes and massacred. People need to recognize that and honor the victims of that tragedy. And that sort of balance is necessary, as I say, not only here but in Turkey. You mentioned the debate within Turkey and I think that if you've looked at my writings you've seen that I've personally long encouraged that. The United States government has encouraged it and if confirmed I would also do so. I think there has been some progress in that regard, including on this issue, but not enough and if confirmed I would make it a priority of pushing for it." Philip H. Gordon, a Senior Fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, has written extensively about the importance of Turkey, as well as expressed doubts about the need to reaffirm the Armenian Genocide. "With President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton's clear and consistent record with respect to U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, the Assembly expects that, if confirmed, Philip Gordon will fully embrace this important human rights policy position," stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, adding that "It is long past time for State Department officials to be fully aware of the historical reality of the Armenian Genocide and be allowed to speak the truth freely."

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