April 22, 2009                                  Contact: Roupen Kouyoumdjian 

 Canada is not a Banana Republic

 

Ottawa-Canadians are dismayed by the Turkish Government decision to temporarily withdraw its ambassador from Canada because of the Canadian Government's and politicians' decision to uphold their principles and honour the victims of the Armenian Genocide this week.  This blatant interference of the Turkish Government in the internal affairs of Canada has been already condemned by a large number of Canadians.

 

“What the Turkish government did is to simply blackmail a sovereign state like Canada. We are not a banana republic where foreign countries can dictate to us how to conduct our affairs,” said Dr. Girair Basmadjian, president of the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC).

 

Dr. Basmadjian considered the Turkish Government's reckless stunt as an annual exercise in futility.  The Prime Minister, the House of Commons, the Senate and the provincial governments have recognized the Armenian Genocide for many years.  The ANCC is not surprised that Turkey is trying to reopen a settled issue and this shows the lengths to which they will go in denying the genocide. This shows how important it is that Canadians always remain vigilant against genocide denial.   

 

The ANCC is sure that the Prime Minister, the Government of Canada, and Canadian politicians will stand steadfast and not give in to the Turkish government's crass political move. "After all, in recognizing the Armenian Genocide and respecting the memory of the victims we are also paying tribute to hundreds of Canadian pioneers in international humanitarian relief efforts who helped the Armenian orphans in the aftermath of the Genocide," said Dr. Basmadjian. These Canadian pioneers generously contributed to relief efforts to save the Armenian survivors. Furthermore, the heroic dedication of humanitarians such as Nova Scotia’s Sara Corning, who saved 5,000 Armenian and Greek children from death should not be subject to political intrigue and blackmail, said ANCC.

 

 

 

“The Canadian Government should protest, in the strongest terms, the Turkish government's undiplomatic move. The manner in which the Turkish Government is behaving is an insult to Canada and to Canadians. Our Prime Minister’s moral fortitude and record in condemning human right abuses--no matter where they happened and when they happened--gives us the confidence that our government will have the correct response to this attempted infringement on our sovereignty. We are also confident that our politicians will not capitulate to the Turkish Government's most-recent bullying," concluded Dr. Basmadjian.   

 

 

 

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The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.

 

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Le CNAC est l'organisation politique canadienne-arménienne la plus large et influentielle. Collaborant avec une série de bureaux, chapitres et souteneurs à travers le Canada et des organisations affiliées à travers le monde, le CNAC s'occupe activement des inquiétudes de la communauté canadienne-arménienne.