TBILISI (VOA)—Republican US Senator John McCain, in a recent interview with the Georgian service of Voice of America said he believed “ample documentation” exists proving that “Genocide had been committed against the Armenian people.”
“I believe that a genocide was committed against Armenians, and I think there is ample documentation of that,” McCain was quoted as saying. “The Turkish and Armenian people and states cannot forget the past. Especially Armenians cannot.”
“Because of that,” McCain said, he understood and agreed with Armenia’s efforts to normalize relations with Turkey on a step-by-step basis. “I support that view,” he said.
“We are witnessing significant progress in the relations between Turkey and Armenia,” McCain added. For the first time, parties are making steps towards the same direction.”
McCain dodged the issue during his presidential campaign in 2008, failing to properly characterize the crime as Genocide. The Arizona Senator is running for re-election in the 2010 Senate race.
During the US Presidential Campaign, Senator McCain formally asked for the support of Armenian American voters in an open letter. The Arizona Senator praised the Armenian American contribution to American society, and Armenia’s contribution to Coalition operations in Iraq and NATO peacekeeping in Kosovo, but failed to outline his stands on core Armenian American issues.
At the time, McCain remained silent on Nagorno Karabagh, the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, U.S. aid to Armenia, and the broader issue of U.S.-Armenia relations. He did, as he has done over the years, echo the Bush Administration’s practice of employing euphemistic language such as “terrible tragedy” to avoid mentioning the Armenian Genocide by its proper name.
Senator McCain has, throughout his tenure in the Congress, largely opposed or was passively indifferent to a broad array of Armenian American issues. In October 2007, Senator McCain publicly opposed Congressional recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In 1999, he voted against restricting U.S. aid to Azerbaijan over its blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh. He voted against Senator Bob Dole’s Armenian Genocide Resolution in 1990.
And the sad little cycle continues. When republicans are in charge democrats fight for genocide recognition, when democrats have the executive its the other way around. when is this going to stop?
I am glad that McCain has recognized the genocide but I would like to see him co-sponsor the genocide resolution.
And why did he decide to acknowledge it now? What prompted him to do this?
Unfortunately, McCain remains a sort of adversary, but when you think about it, he is now a bit better than Obama, who has not explicitly acknowledged the genocide while in office.
umm your a tad late buddy…the elections are over…try having these revelations when it counts…
Should we be expecting a statement from his running mate about seeing Armenia from Alaska soon…
Give me a break! You politicians are all untrustworthy opportunists.
You think our Genocide is up for barter? From Obama to McCain, their all the same.
I DON’T HAVE ANY REASON TO TRUST EITHER OF THEM AND I WILL NOT.
I want to see a signed legal document saying that he or anyone else recognizes the Armenian Genocide and is willing to exert pressure on Turkey for rightful reparations and land restitution before he begs for my vote.
Let him also start talking about his recent revelation about the Armenian Genocide to senior and junior Bush and to all the rest of his party members before he starts fishing for votes.
This goes for all democrat and republican candidates. Shame on all of you.
Another politician who talks from the both sides of his mouth . Obama did the same
Enough si enough
Fishing for votes again, “Hi my name is political candidate YXZ, if Armenians support me, I will support Armenian Genocide recognition initiatives”. Politician YXZ in office, “Armenian Genocide of 90 years ago? what’s that? Oh look massacres in Sudan, shame on Sudanese government!” Politician YXZ then turns around and signs a bill for construction of 235th Holocaust museum in the U.S. then says “The Armenian Genocide is for the ‘historians’ to decide, not us”.
after reading this article, what make us think/believe that Senator McCain is a changed man.