ACA DISAPPOINTED OVER BARACK OBAMA’S ANNUAL STATEMENT ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net –
April 25, 2010 – 00:16 AMT 19:16 GMT
On April 24th, the Armenian Council of America (ACA) and the Armenian
American community received, with great disappointment, United States
President Barack Obama’s annual statement on the Armenian Genocide.
Although the President has gone further than previous U.S. Presidents
in recent history and continuously states his "personal views have
not changed," the President, yet again has reneged on his pledge to
clearly and precisely characterize the actions by the Turkish Ottoman
Empire against their own ethnic Armenian citizens ninety five years
ago as Genocide.
While Senator and presidential candidate, Barack Obama pledged "As
President I will recognize the Armenian Genocide." Now President
Obama avoided his commitment to utilize the word Genocide and instead
characterized the historical reality as "one of the worst atrocities
of the 20th century" and "the terrible events of 1915" yet again.
While the Armenian Council of American is grateful that the President
sees it "in all of our interest to see the achievement a full,
frank and just acknowledgment of the facts," recently, the Turkish
government has used the signing of the Protocols as a pretense of
harmony and good-will towards Armenia and a tool against genocide
recognition. It is vital that the President and his advisors realize
that Turkish-Armenian relations can never be normalized without Turkey
coming to terms of what occurred to the 1.5 million Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire which constitutes Genocide. "It is truly regrettable
that President Obama has yet again faltered on acknowledging historical
truth by its rightful name, Armenians throughout the world, along
with Turkish citizens struggling to change the propagated Turkish
revisionist history, would obtain moral support in their endeavor if
the President candidly spoke of the Armenian Genocide as genocide,"
stated Sevak Khatchadourian, ACA board member.
"Historical truth that is the Armenian Genocide can never be put
into question, the lack of undoubtedly identifying it as such caused
great disappointment victims of genocides and advocates of humanity
throughout the world," ACA statement said.