ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA EXPECTS RIGOROUS SENATE CONFIRMATION PROCESS ON NOMINATION OF NEW U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA
arminfo
Friday, May 20, 20:48
The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) expects a rigorous
Senate confirmation process in the months ahead on Barack Obama’s
nomination of John A. Heffern to serve as U.S. ambassador to Armenia,
the representatives of the Armenian Assembly of America say in their
statement.
In the mid-1990s, Heffern worked for former Congressman Doug
Bereuter (R-NE) who was consistently one of the most pro- Turkish
and anti-Armenian Representatives to serve in Congress, the statement
says. For example, in 1995-1996, when Heffern was on the Congressman’s
International Relations Committee staff, Bereuter voted against
several measures aimed to promote not only Armenia’s interests, but
human rights interests around the world. These measures included,
most notably, the Humanitarian Aid Corridor Act, which prohibits U.S.
economic assistance to any country that impedes or restricts the
transfer or delivery of U.S. humanitarian assistance to another
country. Heffern’s former boss also voted against an amendment to
cut $25 million in aid to Turkey, which was proposed in reference to
Turkey’s human rights violations and ongoing blockade of Armenia.
Further, the Congressman voted against an amendment to cut aid to
Turkey until it had “taken all appropriate steps to honor the memory
of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.”
To note, current U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch,
nominated by former President George W. Bush, will conclude her
three-year mission in June. John A. Heffern is a career member of the
Senior Foreign Service and currently serves as the Deputy Chief of
Mission at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels. Prior to his current
post, Mr. Heffern served as Executive Assistant to the Undersecretary
for Political Affairs and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy
in Indonesia. Mr. Heffern’s career has also included overseas
assignments to Japan, Malaysia, Ivory Coast and Guangzhou, China.