Richard Hoagland is not the US representative in Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The US Senate Commission on International Affairs rejected Richard Hoagland's candidacy for US Ambassador to Armenia twice. In both cases the right of veto was used by Senator from New Jersey Robert Menendez, who announced that the person denying the Armenian Genocide cannot defend interests of the USA in Armenia. During the hearings in front of the Commission Hoagland announced, that he recognizes the events of 1915, but doesn't qualify them as Genocide. In fact, Hoagland simply repeated the viewpoint of the US Administration, which still doesn't recognize the historical reality of the Armenian Genocide for the sake of American-Turkish relations. By the way, the reason why the former Ambassador to Armenia John Evans was called back was his public recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

"We are satisfied with the fact that the US President's Administration finally recognized what the Armenian Community and ANCA had been expecting for more than a year; Hoagland with his own words discredited himself as the follower of the American values and US interests, as well the US Ambassador to Armenia. We would like to thank Senator Robert Menendez for his fundamental viewpoint, according to which, a person denying the Armenian Genocide must not represent the interests of the USA in Armenia," said Executive Director of ANCA Aram Hambaryan. "This is indeed good news. It was obvious that Hoagland's candidacy for the position of the US Ambassador to Armenia was controversial. I do hope that the next candidate will approach this issue with understanding, and will have his asset in creating healthy relationship with our friends in Armenia," announced Senator Robert Menendez. According to the author of the Resolution 106 about the Armenian Genocide Congressman Adam Schiff, the President acted quite reasonably to withdraw Hoagland. "During the hearings in the US Congress Hoagland went on denying that the slaughter of the Armenians during 1915 and 1923 was Genocide, thus rubbing salt into the Armenians' wound, especially those few ones who survived the first Genocide of the XX Century. My hope is, that the President will soon appoint a new Ambassador, who will be more willing to discuss the issue of the Armenian Genocide," said Adam Schiff.

It may be assumed that the rejection of Richard Hoagland's candidacy by the US Administration was dictated by the willingness of considering the adoption of the Resolution 106 about the Armenian Genocide by US Congress, moreover; next year Presidential elections will be held in the USA. The Republicans obviously lose to the Democrats and the present step is made to somehow consolidate their positions among the US Armenian Community, which possesses enough power to have its influence on the results of the elections. However, these are just mere hopes, for it will not secure any victory for the Republicans any way. The majority of the Armenians in the USA give more preference to the Democrats and not only because of the fact that they speak in favor of recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the United States. The Democrats, as the representatives of the Armenian Community in the USA think, are "more predictable". However it should be confessed that the Armenian lobby has achieved noticeable success. George Bush never made up his mind to appoint an Ambassador against the Senate. Perhaps this very indecision may soon lead to Turkish Prime Minister Redgep Erdoghan's "distancing away from Bush's lame foreign policy" as the Turkish Press insures.