SEN. OBAMA REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO U.S. ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
armradio.am
18.06.2008 10:22
With the Senate Foreign Relations Committee set to consider
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia nominee Marie Yovanovitch at a confirmation
hearing on Thursday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack
Obama restated his commitment to U.S. recognition of the Armenian
Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
In a June 16th letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, Sen. Obama wrote
"I share your view that the United States must recognize the events of
1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman Empire, as genocide. . . We
must recognize this tragic reality. The Bush Administration’s refusal
to do so is inexcusable, and I will continue to speak out in an effort
to move the Administration to change its position."
Sen. Obama went on to cite his concerns about the firing of former U.S.
Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans in 2006 for speaking
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide. "I was deeply disturbed two
years ago when the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia was fired after he used
the term "genocide" to describe the mass slaughter of Armenians. In
a letter to the Department of State, I called for Secretary Rice to
closely examine what I believe is an untenable position taken by the
U.S. government."
On March 28, 2008, Pres. Bush nominated Amb. Marie L. Yovanovitch
to serve as America’s next Ambassador to Armenia. The ANCA has
spoken to Committee members about the value of carefully questioning
Amb. Yovanovitch on the many issues she will face as the U.S. envoy
in Yerevan, among them the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,
Turkey and Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockades of Armenia, and the need
for a balanced U.S. role in helping forge a democratic and peaceful
resolution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. These efforts have
been supported by extensive on-line outreach and a national postcard