Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) has urged his House colleagues to join with him in cosigning a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the obstacles to Turkey's European Union aspirations represented by the Turkish government's ongoing refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, lift its blockade of Armenia, and end its occupation of Cyprus, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). In a "Dear Colleague" letter circulated on November 3rd, Rep. Costa urged his House colleagues to cosign the letter calling on Secretary Rice to "address a number of concerns regarding the Republic of Turkey's beginning negotiations for admission into the European Union." The proposed letter to Secretary Rice calls for an update on the State Department efforts to address a series of concerns including the Armenian Genocide, blockade of Armenia, human rights issues, and the occupation of Cyprus. Concerning the Armenian Genocide, the letter notes that, "few tragedies in our shared history are as comprehensively documented as the fate of more than 1.5 million Armenians living within the Ottoman Empire from 1915-1923." The letter goes on to stress that, "We believe that only by acknowledging the Ottoman Empire's genocidal legacy, can Turkey fully return to the community of nations." With regard to the blockade, the letter notes that, "despite violating international law and condemnations on behalf of the United States and the European Union, Turkey continues to impose its blockade against Armenia, now in its twelfth year." It goes on to note that "overall, this policy acts against the interests of the European Union and is counterproductive to U.S. interests to support broad engagement with the nations of the South Caucasus to help them 'remain independent, and [to] become democratic, stable, and prosperous partners of the United States.'"