Transcript [PDF] - House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats

19
tried to create have not been established, and actually it is my belief
that there is no imminent likelihood that those protocols will
be ratified any time in the near future.
My basis for saying that is that the Turkish Prime Minister,
Prime Minister Erdogan, has said that essentially these protocols
will not be put into effect until the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is resolved.
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. I thank the gentleman. I yield back the balance
of my time.
Chairman BERMAN. Who seeks recognition The gentleman from
Indiana, the ranking member of the Middle East and South Asia
Subcommittee. For what purpose do you seek recognition
Mr. BURTON. I ask to strike the last word, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman BERMAN. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. BURTON. My colleague, the chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee,
said history must be righted, and I totally agree with
that. There were horrible things that happened during this time
period on both sides. I have debated this issue in committee and
on the floor for many, many years, and I say to the Armenians and
the Turks who suffered during this time period we feel the pain
that they went through in that time period. We can’t really feel the
pain, but we understand what went on.
What I would like to do is read a little bit about these protocols
because I think it is very, very important. The Turkish Foreign
Minister and the Armenian Foreign Minister signed two protocols
on the establishment of diplomatic relations announcing their mutual
desire to establish good, neighborly relations and to develop bilateral
cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and other
fields for the benefits of their peoples.
These protocols would also reopen the border, as the chairman
just said, but he says he doesn’t think that is going to happen. The
protocols also affirmed the commitment of both countries to condemn
all forms of terrorism, violence and extremism irrespective of
their cause.
These protocols committed Turkey and Armenia to create an
intergovernmental commission within 2 months of the entry into
force of such protocols and within 1 month of the establishment of
such commission to create a subcommission to implement a dialogue
on the historical dimension with the aim to restore mutual
competence between the two nations, including an impartial and
scientific examination of the historical records and archives to define
existing problems and formulate recommendations.
The historic commission structure specifically allowed for the
participation of international experts from third parties. This is a
fragile process that deserves protection as the protocols now rest
with the Armenian and Turkish Parliaments for ratification.
I think that what we are doing today if we pass this jeopardizes
that negotiation between the Armenians and the Turks, and it certainly
is not going to help our relationship with the Turks as well.
We all abhor the horrible tragedies of war and the things that happen
on both sides. We get criticized for Hiroshima and Nagasaki
and fire burning Dresdan, Germany, and Berlin during the Second
World War. There is no question horrible things happened and we
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