Name of new Ambassador-designate to Armenia forwarded to White House

PanARMENIAN.Net - As a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter came to know from a source in the U.S. Department of State, the name of Ambassador-designate to Armenia has been already forwarded to the White House.



The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Relations will schedule hearings to confirm the nomination in the near future. After completing its review, the Committee is expected to recommend approval to the full Senate.



"We are hopeful that Senators will not block the nomination this time. We attach importance to relations with Armenia and think that the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan must have a leader," the source said.



As known, the Richard Hoagland nomination faced bipartisan opposition in the 109th Congress and was ultimately blocked by a parliamentary "hold" placed by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) after Hoagland disqualified himself by denying the Armenian Genocide.



In announcing his "hold", the New Jersey legislator cited the principled stand taken by former U.S. Ambassador John Evans, who was fired for speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide.