White House announced withdrawal of nomination of Richard Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Following a year of Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) led Armenian American community opposition to the controversial appointment of an Armenian Genocide denier as U.S. envoy to Yerevan, the White House, today, announced the withdrawal of the nomination of Richard Hoagland as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, reported the ANCA.



"We are gratified to see that the Administration has finally come to recognize what the ANCA and the Armenian American community have understood for more than a year that Dick Hoagland - through his own words and action - disqualified himself as an effective representative of either American values or U.S. interests as U.S. Ambassador to Armenia," stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We would like to thank Senator Menendez for his principled leadership in impressing upon the Administration that a genocide denier should never and must never represent the U.S. in Armenia."



"This is certainly welcome news," stated Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ). "It was clear that their nominee to fill his place was controversial. I hope that our next nominee will bring a different understanding to this issue and foster a productive relationship with our friends in Armenia."



House Armenian Genocide resolution lead sponsor Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) concurred, stating "The President was right to withdraw Mr. Hoagland's nomination. During his confirmation hearings, Mr. Hoagland continued to deny that the massacre of a million and a half Armenians between 1915 and 1923 was genocide, thereby compounding the injury done to the Armenian people and, especially, the few remaining survivors of the first genocide of the Twentieth Century. I hope that the President will soon nominate a new ambassador who will be more forthcoming in discussing the Armenian Genocide."