AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
Aug 25 2009
US Armenians worried by Washington`s policy
25-08-2009 23:25:17
The Armenian National Committee of America has sent an appeal to US
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton saying the Armenian community in
the United States is utterly concerned over what it called
Washington`s foreign policy supporting Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The committee criticized US President Barack Obama and Vice President
Joe Biden, claiming that the pair had failed to deliver on their
pre-election pledges to recognize the so-called genocide of Armenians,
a claim on the World War I-era mass killings in the Ottoman Empire.
The Armenian community was particularly riled with the views of
Matthew Bryza, the US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering
settlement to the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, accusing the
diplomat of what they claim is a pro-Azerbaijan stance. “This
stance, in particular, his blocking the recognition of the 1915
developments, has raised our serious concerns,“ it said.
The letter addressed to Secretary Clinton maintained that the Madrid
principles, an outline for Garabagh settlement submitted by the
mediators to the sides in November 2007, pose a threat to Armenia`s
national security. It also claimed that the status of Upper Garabagh,
which is seen by Yerevan as a key issue in the peace process, appears
obscure in the Madrid document.
The committee went as far as demanding that the secretary of state
meet with representatives of Armenian religious and public
organizations and charities operating in the U.S.