“It is vitally important that the United States send an ambassador to Armenia. The close bilateral relations of the two countries depend on the maintenance of contact and consultation at the highest diplomatic levels,” says the statement of the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA). It also mentions that close bilateral relations of the two countries must develop and strengthen, which is impossible without ambassador’s presence in Yerevan. Democracy in Armenia is still a work in progress. With elections scheduled this year, the U.S. Ambassador can play an important role in strengthening Armenia’s democratic process and ensuring free and fair elections. The proper recognition and international affirmation of the Armenian Genocide is a matter of high priority for the Armenian people worldwide. However, U.S.-Armenia relations do not hinge on this issue alone.
Unlike Turkey, Administration officials have made it clear that the United States does not deny the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Assembly does not believe that Richard Hoagland is a genocide denier. However, it is also evident that the Bush Administration, while relying on the dictionary definition of the Armenian Genocide in its annual commemorative statements, remains unwilling to properly label the crimes of 1915 as genocide.
Because of this fundamental policy disagreement with the Administration, the Armenian Assembly believes that forceful and consistent advocacy by the Armenian-American community toward shaping a U.S. policy that properly recognizes and characterizes the Armenian Genocide is the only right strategy in the long run. The Assembly believes that there should be an American ambassador in Yerevan, and there should be clear and positive U.S. affirmation of the Armenian Genocide. Until then ambassadors will articulate the policies of the President. The Armenian Assembly calls upon Congress and the President to stand up for the historical truth, as Ambassador Evans did, and boldly recognize the crimes committed in 1915 as genocide.
