Carolyn Maloney: “I thank Congressman Sablan for yielding and for his hard work in so many areas and his leadership. I rise to express my…”

“I thank Congressman Sablan for yielding and for his hard work in so many areas and his leadership. I rise to express my opposition to the Indian Tribal Trade and Investment Demonstration Project Act, H.R. 2362. This bill is unnecessary and seeks to give special consideration to one country--Turkey. {time} 1620 As a country that has shown both negative and aggressive actions toward a number of our allies, Turkey should not be given investment preferences in Indian tribal lands through this bill. And they should not be given preference over 154 allies, members of the World Trade Organization. Nor should they be given preference over American businesses that wish to invest in Indian tribal lands. This bill would reward a country with a record of human rights and religious freedom violations. It has been on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's watch list for 3 consecutive years. Just this last Friday, many of us marked the 38th anniversary of Turkey's illegal occupation of the northern third of the island Republic of Cyprus. Throughout this occupation, Turkey actively seeks to alter the heritage and demographics of Cyprus. It has systematically destroyed the island's Christian heritage and colonized the area with more than 200,000 settlers and 40,000 troops. Furthermore, Turkey maintains an economic blockade against Armenia, sealing its borders to all trade, and continues to deny the Armenian genocide, during which over 1.5 million Armenians perished.…”