Bryan Ardouni: “Adoption of the Armenian Genocide by the United States must not become the hostage of the Armenian-Turkish relations”

YEREVAN, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Assembly of America referred to the April 24 statement of the US President Barack Obama, noting that the US president commemorated the victims of the Armenian Genocide and reiterated his viewpoint about the fact of the Armenian Genocide, saying it has not changed and like in 2009 speech described the Armenian Genocide with an Armenian expression “Meds Yeghern”.

“I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in 1915, and my view of that history has not changed. It is in all of our interest to see the achievement of a full, frank and just acknowledgment of the facts. The Meds Yeghern is a devastating chapter in the history of the Armenian people, and we must keep its memory alive in honor of those who were murdered and so that we do not repeat the grave mistakes of the past,” Obama stated.

The American Assembly of Armenia says this statement was voiced in an atmosphere of growing wide-scale, well-organized propaganda of denial campaign of Turkey, Prime Minister Erdogan’s threats to exile Armenians, frozen Armenian-Turkish protocols.

Earlier in April, the American Assembly of Armenia, Armenian General Benevolent Union, Eastern and Western Dioceses of the Armenian Church came forth with a joint statement calling on President Barack Obama to use the English word for describing the Armenian Genocide instead of saying the Armenian word.

“Both the reaffirmation of the president and the joint statement are called to cure the open wounds caused by the denial and bring Turkey one step closer to real reconciliation,” the press release of the Yerevan office of the organization runs.

“We have consistently noted that the adoption of the Armenian Genocide by the United States must not become the hostage of the Armenian-Turkish relations. President Reagan in 1981 clearly reiterated the position of the United States and in his April address used the English expression of the “Armenian Genocide”. The undeniable adoption of the Armenian Genocide will bring to the prevention of further repetition of genocides and will foster the system of American values,” the executive director of the Assembly Bryan Ardouni noted.