Current US Administration Closer to Recognizing Armenian Genocide than Ever Before: Safrastyan

Ruben Safrastyan, Turkologist and Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at Armenia’s National Academy of Sciences, is not optimistic about whether US President Barack Obama will say the word Genocide in his address on April 24, the day for commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

At a press conference today, Safrastyan, however, did not rule out the possibility.

“The current [US] administration is standing very close to this issue,” said Safrastyan. In an attempt to support his statement, Safrastyan cited the fact that the US administration did not interfere in the Armenian Genocide resolution discussions.

He also recalled that the US administration, during George Bush’s term in office, not only intervened in the discussions of similar measures but also exerted pressure on senators so that they voted against the resolution.

Safrastyan also recalled that “the people currently leading the US had previously supported the Armenian viewpoint as members of congress.”