Agreement on road map served as pretext for Obama's failure to honor his pledge

PanARMENIAN.Net - The joint statement by the Armenian and Turkish Ministries of Foreign Affairs issued on the eve of the Armenian Genocide anniversary has served as a pretext for Barack Obama to refrain from using the term Genocide in his annual April 24 address to the Armenian Community of the United States.



"Alleging the ongoing dialogue and the agreement concluded, Mr. Obama seized the opportunity to avoid the term Genocide. It was our fault," ARF Dashnaktsutyun Bureau's Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office Director Kiro Manoyan told a news conference today.



Addressing the Armenian community yesterday, President Obama said, "Ninety four years ago, one of the great atrocities of the 20th century began. Each year, we pause to remember the 1.5 million Armenians who were subsequently massacred or marched to their death in the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The Meds Yeghern must live on in our memories, just as it lives on in the hearts of the Armenian people."



"Obama managed to articulate his ideas but he failed to keep his promise. He disappointed the Armenian community of the United States, the people who voted for him," Manoyan said, adding that the U.S. President doesn't have to wait till next April 24 to properly recognize the Genocide.