WHO IS TO BECOME NEXT US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA?
By A. Manvelian
AZG Armenian Daily
26/03/2008
Armenia-USA
This question, which remained out of sight for the recent months, is
again becoming actual. It became known that US President George Bush
represented to the Armenian side the new candidature for the office,
Marie Louise Jovanovich. It is also known that Ms.
Jovanovich has been working at the US Department of State since
1986. She studied at the Princeton University, specialized in studies
of Russian history, also graduated from the Pushkin Istitute, Russia
and the Military College, USA. According to information received, the
parents of Ms. Jovanovich came from Serbia and were of Russian descent.
At present Jovanovich is the US Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan. In 2002-2004 she worked at the US Embassy
in Kiev.
Anyways, there is still a long way from proposing one’s candidature
and appointing the person to the office. First of all the candidature
of Marie Louise Jovanovich is to be approved by the Armenian side
and then by the US Senate.
Here the difficulties begin. To be reminded, Richard Hoagland’s
candidature was declined because he refused Armenian Genocide, and,
evidently, Jovanovich shall hardly have the luck to avoid answering
questions on the Genocide at the Foreign Affairs Commission. The
position of the official Washington has not changed since then, while
the number of Armenian Genocide supporters has grown in the Congress,
therefore Jovanovich will have to make a difficult choice.
On the other hand, the US diplomatic mission in Armenia cannot stay
without a leader for a long time, and Armenia is interested in having a
new American Ambassador as soon as possible. According to information
received from Armenian lobbying organizations in the United States,
they are more or less friendly towards attitude to Marie Louise
Jovanovich, and it is possible that she won’t be asked questions
about the Genocide.
"Azg" also learned that the candidature of Jovanovich was suggested
by Bush at the time when emergency measures were announced in
Yerevan. This makes us think that the White House considers its
interests in Armenia threatened by the growing Russian influence and
aims at consolidating its positions in our country with the appointment
of a new Ambassador.
The Foreign Ministry of Armenia informed that the new candidature of
US Ambassador is now being considered, but unofficial sources assure
that President Kocharian has already approved it.