23/04/2015 10:55
US willing to acknowledge past while continuing work with regional partners
An acting spokesperson for the US Department of State has as reiterated the country’s official position on the Armenian Genocide, practically ruling out any language change in President Barack Obama’s annual address to the Armenians.
Speaking at the daily press briefing on Thursday, Marie Harf said they find that the policies pursed are the right choice allowing the country to both acknowledge the past and continue work with regional partners (i.e. Turkey).
“I’m sure this is what the White House said too, but we know there are some who I think were hoping to hear some different language this year. We certainly understand their perspective. Even as we believe that the approach we have taken in previous years remains the right one – and again, the approach we’re taking this year – both for acknowledging the past and also for our ability to work with regional partners to save lives in
the future. So this is something that we feel is important.
“The President has consistently stated his views about what happened in 1915 and, again, we know people wanted to hear – some people wanted to hear different language this year, and we are certainly aware of that,” she said.
Asked why President Barack Obama failed to fulfill his electoral pledge to recognize the mass killings of the Armenians in Ottoman Empire as genocide, Ms Harf refrained from giving any comments.
She also warned against comparing the Jewish Holocaust with the Armenian Genocide when asked about the differences in the US attitudes to the two major atrocities (that the US has officially recognized the Holocaust but it hasn’t affected its relations with Germany).
“I’m just not going to compare those two events. And I think we’ve said what we’re going to say on this. And I think you’ll hear more statements from the Administration on the anniversary itself. And I don’t have much more analysis of it to do for you today,” she said.