The American Armenian Assembly, which is the roof and lobby organization of Armenian Americans living in the US, took a swift action and stated that they supported the efforts of Congressmen to persuade President Trump to cancel the meeting with President Erdogan in the White House following the final decision regarding the visit of President Erdogan to the US on 13 November and the official meetings upon to the invitation of the US President Donald Trump. A declaration was released in the official website of the Assembly in this regard. The declaration stated that “Turkey has been a lifeline for ISIS, and has continued the genocidal policies of the Ottoman Empire by openly supporting jihadist terrorism”. Afterwards the declaration expressed that “Some of the Christians targeted in northern Syria include Armenians and Assyrians whose ancestors survived the Armenian Genocide at the beginning of the 20th century, and are themselves experiencing the same type of ethnic cleansing today by Turkey and ISIS”.  “Turkey’s support of ISIS and its attacks on ethnic and religious minorities are unforgivable. Just this morning, ISIS militants took pride in killing an Armenian priest traveling to Deir el-Zor in northern Syria to visit the Armenian Catholic Church. Turkey needs to stop supporting terrorism and should be immediately removed from NATO,” the Co-Chairs of the Assembly added. [1]

As it has been the case in the disgraceful resolution of the US House of Representatives, motivated by the domestic political expediencies, regarding the recognition of the “Armenian Genocide” among other Christian minorities, the upcoming meeting at the Presidential level has been used as a tool by the Armenian lobby. One of the latest examples of this situation is the support of the American Armenian Assembly on the efforts of the Congressmen towards the cancellation of the upcoming meeting between President Trump and President Erdogan and the continuity of Anti-Turkey smear campaigns.

There is a point that the interest groups particularly the Armenian Lobby, which continue their anti-Turkey campaigns, should be reminded with regards to this understanding which combines the mindset of the crusaders and the Turkophobia. As it is well-known the “America First” policy has been followed by the US President since 2016. This policy played key role on the victory of Trump in the elections. However, as it can be seen from the abovementioned statements that some Americans, especially the Armenian Americans, do not comprehend this policy. It can be clearly observed that the Armenians, who forgot their American identity, make efforts to bring forward the “Armenia First” initiatives. In line with the previous attitude of the Armenians towards the Ottoman State, where they were citizens, the Armenians are taking initiatives to promote their interests by disregarding the interest of the country that they are bound by citizenship. They are trying to take these initiatives by gaining the support of the politicians who oppose to the US President Trump, especially by trying to influence the opposition representatives in the regions where they are effective. Having taken part in the nationwide propaganda activities since 1972, the American Armenian Assembly has been the pioneer through this declaration among the interest groups, which try to implement the “Armenia First” policy together with the politicians opposing Trump. The historical realities once again are distorted through Turkey in order to block President Trump. The follow-up of this meeting, which is critical for the Turkey-US relations, is of great importance.

Photo: Yahoo.com

[1] “Armenian Assembly of America Supports Bipartisan Effort to Revoke White House Invitation to Erdogan,” Armenian Assembly of America, 11 November 2019, https://armenian-assembly.org/2019/11/11/armenian-assembly-of-america-supports-bipartisan-effort-to-revoke-white-house-invitation-to-erdogan/