Saturday, April 25 2015 12:49

During the annual briefing press secretary of the U.S.  State Department Marie Harf said that in his annual speech president Barack Obama put out a very lengthy statement, a very powerful statement speaking to the historical events of a hundred years ago.

"I realize that most wanted to hear other words, but this is Washington's official stance, which we believe to be a right one", said the State department representative. 
She refused to answer if not using the word "genocide" is of the U.S. national interest to deny the truth about the Armenian genocide. 

In response to the question "Are you afraid of Turkey?" Harf answered: I'm not even sure how to answer that question.  Commenting on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's statement describing 1915 atrocities as genocide by quoting Pope Francis, she said that the Commission is an independent, bipartisan U.S. advisory commission created by an act of Congress. It is not part of the Executive Branch. So this is - their press announcement does not constitute a change in U.S. Government policy.

She has also reminded that the U.S. favour the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. 

In response to the question is she is aware of president Ronald Reagan's April 22, 1981 called the events of 1915 as genocide and that the United States Government has record of recognizing the Armenian genocide officially, Harf said, "I'm not aware of every statement every candidate for president or president has made on this.  think the president we have now, President Obama, put out a very lengthy statement, a very powerful statement speaking to the historical events of a hundred years ago. And I would point you there for anything further on this".  

To note, in his annual message to the Armenian nation president Obama again avoided using the word "genocide" when speaking of the 1915 atrocities committed in the Ottoman Empire. HE characterized those events as "massacre," a "terrible carnage," "horrific violence" and a "dark chapter of history".