Speaking at an annual banquet held in support of Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Senator Menendez called parts of the proposed Armenia-Turkey protocols as "frankly absurd" and an "insult to the Armenian people:"
Mr. Menendez argued, "the time has come for Armenia and Turkey to have full diplomatic and economic relations but without preconditions," according to a video made available by the ANCA. He went on to argue that some of the passages in the protocols, particularly on a proposed intergovernmental sub-commission that would discuss a "historical dimension" of Armenian-Turkish relations, raised "real concerns."
"I do not think that Armenia should be pressured into anything that is not in their national interests or in the long-term national interests of the United States," Mr. Menendez stressed.
"It is time that Turkey recognizes [the Armenian Genocide] and accepts it. It is time that the world acknowledges this fact of history and moves on toward a viable peace that honors the true history of the Armenian people."
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