US ambassador to Armenia recalled earlier for using expression "Armenian genocide"

John Evans has already informed the Armenian authorities that his diplomatic mission is over earlier, APA informs.

The US Senate has defined a new ambassador to Armenia. He is the US ambassador to Tajikistan Richard Hoagland.

A year earlier during the meeting with Armenian community in San Francisco, John Evans referring to the so-called "Armenian genocide" said that it can be recognized.

"I regard the event as an act of genocide. No American official has ever denied this fact. I think it will not bring honor to Americans to play with words concerning this issue. I know that everything should be called by their names. However, the US policy has not changed. We have military relations with Turkey in the framework of NATO. The Armenian genocide was the first genocide that was committed in the 20th century. I assure you that we shall seriously deal with this issue," John Evans said.

Seeing that his statements caused serious dissatisfactions, John Evans told a news conference in the US Embassy, Yerevan, that his statements were unofficial, and did not represent official stance of his country.

"In my meeting with Armenian community, I said that US stance concerning the Armenian tragedy remains unchanged. I used the expression of "genocide" but this expression belongs to me -John Evans only not a politician. However, I must admit that my statements were not needed that time," he said.