Open Letter to Hon. Rona Ambrose, Leader of the Opposition

Hon. Rona Ambrose
Leader of the Official Opposition
Interim Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa

Hon. Rona Ambrose,

Thank you for your "statement"  regarding the 101^st commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. We are certainly grateful to the Senate, the House of Commons, the Conservative Party and its leader Prime Minister Stephen Harper who, in 2006, acknowledged the 1915-1923 slaying of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.

However, we are at a loss to explain your urging–if not admonishment–that Armenia and Turkey should recognize their “shared values and seek a path towards reconciliation…for a more peaceful future.” To be fair, you are not the first Canadian politician to have dispensed the same advice.

Hon. Rona Ambrose
Leader of the Official Opposition
Interim Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa

Hon. Rona Ambrose,

Thank you for your "statement"  regarding the 101^st commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. We are certainly grateful to the Senate, the House of Commons, the Conservative Party and its leader Prime Minister Stephen Harper who, in 2006, acknowledged the 1915-1923 slaying of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide.

However, we are at a loss to explain your urging–if not admonishment–that Armenia and Turkey should recognize their “shared values and seek a path towards reconciliation…for a more peaceful future.” To be fair, you are not the first Canadian politician to have dispensed the same advice.

But how can Armenia make peace with Turkey when the latter has:

–Refused to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and in addition has undertaken vigorous international campaigns, including in Canada, to deny the veracity of the Genocide?

–Blockaded Armenia so as to starve the tiny republic of 3 million people. Incidentally, the closed border is the only one left from the Cold War era.

–Tossed the US-proposed Armenia/Turkish Protocols which many people around the world believed could have been the start of a peace process between Armenia and Turkey.

–Trained, armed, and egged neighboring Azerbaijan in the latter’s bellicose policies and actions against Armenia.

–A president (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) who recently said: “Democracy, freedom and the rule of law… For us, these words have absolutely no value any longer.”

–A president who recently boasted that he is proud of blackmailing European Commission leaders including EU President Jean-Claude Juncker into granting Turkish citizens visa-free access to the EU and the payment of US $6.8 billion to Turkey so that Ankara would discourage millions of migrants from Asia and Africa from using Turkey as a bridge to Europe.

–Trained, armed, protected, and provided sanctuary to the satanic ISIS while purchasing the terror group’s stolen petroleum.

–Persecuted its 15 million Kurds and denied them basic human rights.

–Jailed more journalists than any other country.

–Shut media outlets and access to social media.

The list of Turkey’s current crimes can fill many pages.

So we ask, how can Canada expect Armenia to trust such a criminal regime which has a history of killing Armenians and has made no secret of its desire to see Armenia erased from the map?

Considering the above litany of Turkish crimes, sins, and shortcomings, it’s obvious that Turkey has no interest in improving relations with Armenia contrary to what Turkish officials profess. And considering the continued criminal policies of Turkey, we believe Canada and its allies should do the responsible and civilized thing: they should tell their NATO ally Turkey that to be accepted into the Western alliance, Ankara should recognize the Armenian Genocide, it should stop the persecution of the Kurds, halt the blockade of Armenia, stop the confiscation of churches, the stomping over human rights…

Armenia has tried to make peace with Turkey. It’s Ankara which has continued its antagonistic policies towards Yerevan and the Armenian nation.

The ball is in Turkey’s court. To a lesser extent it’s also in the Western alliance’s court.

Respectfully,

Keghart.com

24/04/2016

Statement by Rona Ambrose, Leader of the Official Opposition
and Interim Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada,
on the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide

Both the Senate of Canada and the House of Commons have adopted resolutions acknowledging these events as genocide. In 2006, the Government of Canada, under the leadership of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, also recognized the events of 1915 as genocide.

This is a day that must be recognized solemnly, but also as an opportunity to guide us towards a bright future. It serves as a reminder to all Canadians that we must remain a steadfast ally in the promotion of human rights and democratic freedom around the world.

We have seen in recent years how Canadians of Armenian and Turkish heritage can live and work side by side in the spirit of tolerance and openness. That is why we encourage Armenia and Turkey to recognize shared values and seek a path towards reconciliation.

Now more than a century later – and as Armenians prepare to mark the 25th anniversary of their nation’s independence this year – I join all Canadians, especially those of Armenian descent, in the hope of a more peaceful future.