Clinton Visits Dzidzernagapert - in private
Clinton Visits Dzidzernagapert
YEREVAN (Combined Sources)—In what was described by the US Embassy as a “private visit,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday visited the Dzidzernagapert Armenian Genocide memorial monument and laid a wreath at the eternal flame. She did not make any public statements.
The Armenian National Committee of America was quick to criticize Clinton’s failure for not using the opportunity to recognize the Genocide or signal “a shift away fro the Obama-Biden Administration’s policy of complicity in the Turkish government’s denial of this crime against humanity.”
“As we stated several times in our public comments in the days leading up to Secretary Clinton’s travel to Armenia, her visit to the Armenian Genocide Memorial will hold profound meaning for Armenian Americans to the extent that it marks a real break from the Obama Administration’s morally bankrupt policy of complicity in Turkey’s campaign of genocide denial,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
Click to access for Armenian TV news video item: http://asbarez.com/83034/clinton-visits-dzidzernagapert/
“Given the secrecy surrounding this visit, and the absence of any publicly released remarks – much less a full and formal statement recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the Secretary – it would seem at this point, sadly, that this visit, while holding certain special importance in its own right – does not represent material movement toward proper U.S. condemnation and commemoration of this crime. This visit truly was a missed opportunity for the Secretary and for America, ” added Hamparian.
At the monument, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum and Institute, Hayk Demoian, presented the history of the Memorial’s construction, discussed the Genocide and the humanitarian response by the US government and American people to the Genocide victims.
Clinton inquired about the graves of Karabakh freedom fighters who are buried at Dzidzernagapert. It was explained to her that the Armenian people see the Karabakh war as a continuation of the Armenian Genocide.
Demoian presented Clinton and her delegation with a historical medal issued by the American Near East Relief Committee in early 1920s to award the organization’s employees for their work in Armenian and Middle Eastern orphanages. Hillary Clinton was also presented with a photo depicting Armenian orphans in the American orphanage in Alexandropol (present-day Gumri). The children depicted in the photograph are shown standing to form the sentence: “America, we thank you.”
By Bridget Johnson - 07/05/10 10:14 AM ET
An Armenian lobbying group criticized Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton for visiting the Armenian Genocide Memorial in
"secrecy."
Clinton visited the memorial in Yerevan, Armenia, during a trip
through the Caucasus region. No remarks from her visit were released
by the State Department.
"As we stated several times in our public comments in the days leading
up to Secretary Clinton’s travel to Armenia, her visit to the Armenian
Genocide Memorial will hold profound meaning for Armenian Americans to
the extent that it marks a real break from the Obama Administration’s
morally bankrupt policy of complicity in Turkey’s campaign of genocide
denial,” Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director
Aram Hamparian said in a statement.
“Given the secrecy surrounding this visit, and the absence of any
publicly released remarks – much less a full and formal statement
recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the Secretary – it would seem at
this point, sadly, that this visit, while holding certain special
importance in its own right – does not represent material movement
toward proper U.S. condemnation and commemoration of this crime. This
visit truly was a missed opportunity for the Secretary and for
America.”
Legislation to describe the killings of 1.5 million Armenians at the
hands of the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as "genocide" has stalled many
times in Congress out of concerns that relations with Turkey could be
damaged.
The administration has treaded carefully on the subject. Two
anniversaries have passed since Barack Obama became president and each
time he has not used the word "genocide" in recognition of the date,
as he promised he would on the campaign trail.
The United States' Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on July 4 visited the Alley of Martyrs to commemorate Azerbaijani heroes who gave their lives for the country's independence and territorial integrity, AzerTAj state news agency reported.
She laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame monument.
BBC News:
** Clinton seeks Azeri-Armenia deal **
Top diplomat Hillary Clinton visits Azerbaijan and Armenia to tackle the
long-running Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/world/europe/10500703.stm >
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