US STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: "JOHN EVANS'S STATEMENTS CAN BE VIEWED AS "PERSONAL ATTITUDE EXPRESSED DURING PRIVATE MEETING"
"I would like to elucidate the US policy. My statements on the tragedy of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey and the further status of Nagorno Karabakh made during the informal meeting with the Armenian community of the US can cause misunderstanding", US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans stated on February 28 in the US Embassy in Yerevan, IA Regnum reports. "I noted that the US policy towards the Armenian tragedy has not changed and I used the word "genocide" to express my personal attitude, that is the attitude of John Evans as an individual but not as a political figure", the Ambassador said. In his words the US policy on this issue is stated in the annual massage of US President George Bush dedicated to the memory of the killed Armenians. "My government acknowledges the tragedy of Armenians that took place in Anatolia. We actively contributed to the arrangement of scientific, public and diplomatic discussions on the massacres and deportations of Armenians in 1915. We also supported economic and political dialogue between the Armenian and Turkish parliaments aimed to achieve some harmony on the issue", Mr. Evans said. He also noted that "his comments on the status of Nagorno Karabakh can also cause misunderstanding". "The US government supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and considers that the status of Karabakh should be determined via dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The US carries on assisting the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group and the dialogue held between the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs is rather promising. I deeply regret for the misunderstanding caused by my words", he stressed. When commenting on the Ambassador's statements US Department of State spokesman Steven Pike said, "John Evans's statements should be viewed as personal attitude expressed during a private meeting. They do not correspond to the official position of the US. The US policy towards the Karabakh issue remains unchangeable".
The incident was as well discussed by Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the US Hafiz Pashayev and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy. Pashayev says he was assured that "the US supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and do not recognize Nagorno Karabakh and its "government". To remind, February 19 US Ambassador to Armenian John Evans during the meeting with the US Armenian community in San Francisco noted of the "importance of the Armenian Genocide acknowledgement". "Today I will call it Armenian Genocide", Mr. Evans stated. According to a report of the Armenian National Assembly of America, Mr. Evans said that he held a number of consultations with an attorney from the US Department of State, who defined the massacres of the 1915 as "genocide".
"None of the US officials has ever denied this fact. I just think to play on words in this case would not fit Americans", Mr. Evans said. "I believe that things should called by their proper names, however US's formal policy towards Turkey has not changed, as Turkey has some old military ties with NATO". "The Armenian Genocide was the first Genocide of the 20-th century", the US Ambassador stated noting that at that time the world was not ready to give an adequate reaction. "But I would like to assure you that we are going to work at this problem", he said. When touching upon US-Turkish relations, Mr. Evans stated, "We are experiencing a rather hard period. When commenting on the Karabakh conflict settlement Mr. Evans said "the notion of separatism in the 20-th century can be compared to the social taboo on divorce in the 19-th century". According to him, at present neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan are approaching the solution of the problem. Evans also noted that though the US respects the territorial integrity of states "everyone perceives that Karabakh cannot be given to Azerbaijan. It would be a disastrous step". "One of our main goals is to secure stability in the region", Mr. Evans added.
The incident was as well discussed by Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the US Hafiz Pashayev and US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy. Pashayev says he was assured that "the US supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and do not recognize Nagorno Karabakh and its "government". To remind, February 19 US Ambassador to Armenian John Evans during the meeting with the US Armenian community in San Francisco noted of the "importance of the Armenian Genocide acknowledgement". "Today I will call it Armenian Genocide", Mr. Evans stated. According to a report of the Armenian National Assembly of America, Mr. Evans said that he held a number of consultations with an attorney from the US Department of State, who defined the massacres of the 1915 as "genocide".
"None of the US officials has ever denied this fact. I just think to play on words in this case would not fit Americans", Mr. Evans said. "I believe that things should called by their proper names, however US's formal policy towards Turkey has not changed, as Turkey has some old military ties with NATO". "The Armenian Genocide was the first Genocide of the 20-th century", the US Ambassador stated noting that at that time the world was not ready to give an adequate reaction. "But I would like to assure you that we are going to work at this problem", he said. When touching upon US-Turkish relations, Mr. Evans stated, "We are experiencing a rather hard period. When commenting on the Karabakh conflict settlement Mr. Evans said "the notion of separatism in the 20-th century can be compared to the social taboo on divorce in the 19-th century". According to him, at present neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan are approaching the solution of the problem. Evans also noted that though the US respects the territorial integrity of states "everyone perceives that Karabakh cannot be given to Azerbaijan. It would be a disastrous step". "One of our main goals is to secure stability in the region", Mr. Evans added.
