HIRAIR HOVNANIAN IN HIS LETTER EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT TO OBAMA FOR NOT USING WORD "GENOCIDE"
NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY
APRIL 28, 2009
LOS ANGELES
On April 24, 2009, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Chairman
Hirair Hovnanian sent a letter to President Barack Obama expressing
profound disappointment that the President had omitted the word
Genocide in his commemorative statement on the occasion of the 94th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. In his letter to President
Obama Mr. Hovnanian reminded the President of his repeated promises to
recognize the Armenian Genocide. Hovnanian in his letter mentioned:
"Your use of Mets Yehern [Great Catastrophe] was an inadequate
substitute for Armenian Genocide."
That same afternoon, Vice-President Joseph Biden, Jr. telephoned
Chairman Hovnanian and they exchanged views on the history and status
of Armenian-American community efforts to obtain affirmation by the
U.S. government of the Armenian Genocide.