Armenian Assembly of America
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Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
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PRESS RELEASE
July 27, 2006
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: ckojoian@aaainc.org

AMB. TO ARMENIA DESIGNATE RESPONDS TO SENATORS QUESTIONS

Senate Committee to Vote Aug. 1

Washington, DC – As the Senate Foreign Relations Committee weighs the
nomination of Richard E. Hoagland as America’s next Ambassador to
Armenia, the Foreign Service officer says that if confirmed, he will
uphold the President’s policies with respect to the Armenian Genocide,
which neither denies nor properly acknowledges the events of 1915.

Several Committee Members including Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA),
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Russell Feingold (D-WI), John Kerry (D-MA) and
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) submitted a series of questions to Hoagland
following the June 28 proceedings. The lawmakers asked Hoagland to
clarify U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide and to explain what, if
anything, the State Department has directed him to say publicly on the
Armenian Genocide.

"The State Department has not directed me to make or avoid specific
statements about the tragic events that occurred at the end of the
Ottoman Empire, but has rather provided me with information on the
President’s policy which, if confirmed, I will represent faithfully,"
Hoagland stated in his response to Kerry. Hoagland did not deviate in
his response to Committee Members with similar policy questions.

Kerry also asked Hoagland to explain why the Administration refuses to
recognize the crimes as genocide.

Hoagland provided the following: "The U.S. believes that the question
of how to characterize these horrific events is of such enormous human
significance that it should not be determined on the basis of
politics, but through heartfelt introspection among academics, civic
leaders and societies."

Feingold asked Hoagland how he plans to respond to those in the
Armenian community who are upset by Ambassador John M. Evans’
premature departure. Hoagland replied that the U.S. and Armenia have
a deep and robust relationship, stating "this relationship is based on
close ties and mutual interests on a variety of issues. We expect this
relationship to continue and deepen."

In response to a question from Chafee on what he might say to
Armenians and Armenian-Americans on April 24, Hoagland said he will
work to draw attention to the events as the President has done. "I
will work to encourage dialogue between Armenia and Turkey on this
issue and to encourage all parties to examine the historical events of
this time with honesty and sensitivity," he stated.

Hoagland is slated to replace Evans who tendered his resignation after
serving only two years of what is usually a three-year assignment.
Last year, Evans was rebuked by State Department officials after
publicly affirming the Armenian Genocide in the course of his comments
in the U.S. when he said "the Armenian Genocide was the first genocide
of the twentieth century." In making his statements, Evans pointed to
the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), which
concluded that the events could be properly characterized as genocide.

The Assembly launched a nationwide campaign to urge Congress and the
White House to support the historical truth, reinforcing the statement
made by Evans. More recently, the Assembly submitted a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request for all information surrounding Evans’
impending departure.

Last month, Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), the Ranking Member on the
Foreign Relations Committee, and Committee Member Rep. Christopher
Dodd (D-CT), sent separate letters to Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice expressing concern over reports that Evans’ tenure was cut short
as a result of his comments on the Armenian Genocide. They asked Rice
to provide answers to several questions concerning Evans, in order to
move forward with the confirmation process for Hoagland.

Jeffery T. Berger, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs,
responded to both letters, reiterating that all U.S. Ambassadors serve
at the pleasure of the President and as advocates of the President’s
policies. The letter to Biden also calls the International Center for
Transitional Justice (ICTJ) study a "significant step toward
reconciliation." President Bush has twice referenced the ICTJ study,
as has Ambassador Evans. The study states that: "The Events, viewed
collectively, can thus be said to include all of the elements of the
crime of genocide as defined in the Convention, and legal scholars as
well as historians, politicians, journalists and other people would be
justified in continuing to so describe them."

"The Government of Turkey has not approached the Administration on
this issue, and the United States and Turkey engaged in no diplomatic
exchanges related to this matter," Berger also noted in his letter to
Biden.

"We have a fundamental policy disagreement with the Administration and
we will not stop working until the U.S. unequivocally affirms the
Armenian Genocide — it is an undeniable truth and the morally correct
position to take," said Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.

Hoagland, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, currently
serves as United States Ambassador to the Republic of Tajikistan.
Prior to this, he served as Director of the Office of Caucasus and
Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State. Earlier in his
career, he served as Director of the Office of Public Diplomacy in the
Bureau of South Asian Affairs.

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness
of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership
organization.

NR#2006-068