Announcement As part of the Armenian National Committee of Rhode Island’s (ANC-RI) “Elected Officials Summer Outreach Program”, a breakfast meeting with Congressman David Cicilline, (D), RI-Dist 1, was held on Sunday July 14th in North Providence. The “Elected Officials Summer Outreach Program” calls for district meetings with the members of Rhode Island’s federal delegation and the state’s general officers to discuss issues of concern to the RI Armenian Community. Congressman Cicilline is a member of the House Foreign Relations Committee and has an established an unparalleled record of support for Armenians began in the Rhode Island state legislature, continued as Mayor of the City of Providence and now currently to the US Congress where he championed the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and called on the President and Congress to recognize the independence of Artsakh on the floor of the US House of Representatives. Congressman Cicilline was also one of the lead sponsors of a house resolution calling upon the Government of Turkey to return Christian Church properties to their rightful owners. On the occasion of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan visit to Washington DC on May 16th, Congressman Cicilline issued the following the following statement. “Two million Armenian men, women, and children living under the jurisdiction of the Ottoman Empire were systematically slaughtered or forced to leave their homeland,” the statement read. “There is no doubt that this heinous, organized assault on the Armenian people constituted the first genocide of the 20th century. And yet, even today, nearly a hundred years later, the Turkish government continues to ignore the preponderance of evidence and deny a historical reality.” The Congressman’s Washington DC staff includes Lisa Sarkisian-Tatarian, who serves as a link to the Armenian community in his district among her other many duties. The ANC-RI representatives at the meeting were Chairperson Ani Haroian, who served on then Mayor Cicilline’s senior staff as Director of Community Relations, and also was on the Congressman’s campaign staff. Steve Mesrobian, who currently serves on both the Armenian National Committee Eastern Region Board as well as the ANCA National Board, and Steve Elmasian, who served on former RI Sec. of State James Langevin, the current Congressman for RI District 2, staff and is now on staff with RI Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis. The meeting afforded the ANC-RI delegation an opportunity to thank Congressman Cicilline for his steadfast support and allowed both sides to pledge to continue to work together in the future.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 13:48:33 +0000