PanARMENIAN.Net
White House announced withdrawal of nomination of Richard Hoagland as
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
04.08.2007 14:31 GMT+04:00
/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."