U.S. Senate confirms Marie Yovanovitch as Ambassador to ArmeniaAugust 4, 2008 - 14:16 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Senate confirmed nominee Marie L. Yovanovitch as next U.S. Ambassador to Armenia. Confirmation came after a delay by lawmakers who were unhappy with Ms. Yavonovitch's refusal to use the term 'genocide' to describe the mass slaughter of Armenians at the hand of the Ottoman Empire, AP reports. President Bush nominated Marie Yovanovitch to serve as America's next Ambassador to Armenia on March 28, 2008. "The U.S. government - and certainly I - acknowledges and mourns the mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and forced deportations that devastated over one and a half million Armenians at the end of the Ottoman Empire. The United States recognizes these events as one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century, the "Medz Yeghern" or Great Calamity, as many Armenians refer to it. That is why every April the President honors the victims and expresses American solidarity with the Armenian people on Remembrance Day," Ms. Yovanovitch said in her testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 19, 2008. The position has been unfilled since Ambassador John Evans was recalled two years ago by the Bush Administration for recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Another Ambassador-elect, Richard Hoagland, was withdrawn last year after Senator Menendez's hold. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. Russia: Armenia’s frozen membership weakens CSTO position in Caucasus A Russian envoy said any step that could alienate the CSTO member states from each other is “deeply wrong”. |