Concerns continued to grow this week regarding the circumstances surrounding the firing of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans, as Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) becomes the ninth member of the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee to call for clarification of the State Department policy on the Armenian Genocide.
In a written statement, submitted as part of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ambassador Designate to Armenia Richard Hoagland, Sen. Feingold noted that, “I want to express my deep concern about the Administration’s reluctance to acknowledge the acts of genocide that were committed against the Armenians almost a century ago. The Administration’s continued failure to recognize these tragic events is troubling to me and to those who share my belief that we should speak honestly about, and insist on accountability for, past crimes against humanity and genocide.”
Amongst specific questions to the Ambassador Designate, Sen. Feingold asked Hoagland’s opinion on the reasons why Ambassador Evans was removed as Ambassador to Armenia, what was the Administration’s policy towards acknowledging the Armenian genocide and what boundaries had been set for his position as Ambassador to address or speak about the Armenian genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
