John Evans: "I Received No Document on My Recall from Armenia"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The decision on recall of an Ambassador is taken by the President of the United States only, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans stated at a news conference in Yerevan. "I won't be the Ambassador to Armenia eternally, but I have not received any document on my recall from the U.S. President yet," Mr. Evans said when commenting on The California Courier report. Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, who also was present at the briefing emphasized that the U.S. diplomatic representation in Yerevan is one of the best in the world. "Ambassador Evans has formed a wonderful team and enjoys the respect of the Department of State," Mr. Bryza said.



To note, The California Courier wrote that the U.S. Department of State took the decision to recall John Evans from Armenia. Citing Armenian sources the newspaper said Mr. Evans has already informed the RA authorities of his departure. "After months of uncertainty, it now appears that the rumors about his possible dismissal have finally become reality. The State Department recently finalized the decision to recall him. According to reliable Armenian governmental sources, Amb. Evans informed high-ranking Armenian officials last week about his departure in the coming months, pending the Senate approval of his likely successor, Richard E. Hoagland, who is currently the U.S. Ambassador to Tajikistan. Knowledgeable U.S. sources in Washington have confirmed to this writer that Amb. Evans was being recalled because of his candid remarks on the Armenian Genocide. Last year, during a public gathering at the University of California at Berkeley, Amb. Evans courageously said: "I will today call it the Armenian Genocide…. I informed myself in depth about it. I think we, the US government, owe you, our fellow citizens, a more frank and honest way of discussing this problem. Today, as someone who has studied it … there's no doubt in my mind [as to] what happened…. I think it is unbecoming of us, as Americans, to play word games here. I believe in calling things by their name." Referring to the Armenian Genocide as "the first genocide of the 20th century," he said: "I pledge to you, we are going to do a better job at addressing this issue." Amb. Evans also disclosed that he had consulted with a legal advisor at the State Department who had confirmed that the events of 1915 were "genocide by definition." Within days of making these statements and after complaints from Turkish and Azeri officials to the State Department, Amb. Evans was ordered by his superiors to issue "a clarification" in which he said that "misunderstandings" might have arisen as a result of his earlier comments. He said that he had used the term "genocide" in his "personal capacity," the article says.