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High-ranking U.S. Defense Department official visits Armenia

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high-ranking-usDr. Michael Carpenter, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense, paid a working visit to Armenia on November 2, 2016. During the visit he met with President Serzh Sargsyan as well as Armenia’s newly-appointed Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan.
In addition to the meetings with top Armenian officials, he toured a number of programs highlighting U.S.-Armenian military partnership. He met with U.S. soldiers who were assisting their Armenian counterparts as they teach their first-ever combat medic course, at the Armenian NCO Academy, designed on a similar U.S. training program.

He also visited the 12th Peacekeeping Brigade’s headquarters and met with the soldiers and commanders who have joined in numerous NATO- and UN-led peacekeeping efforts around the globe.
“The United States and Armenia have a longstanding security partnership rooted in the friendship between the American and Armenian peoples,” Dr. Carpenter said. “In the face of new challenges to European security in the 21st century, it is vital for the United States and Armenia to work together to strengthen security, stability and prosperity in the region and to keep advancing our vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.”

source: http://www.armradio.am/en/2016/11/03/high-ranking-u-s-defense-department-official-visits-armenia/

State Department representative under fire of Armenian Genocide questions

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state-departmentState Department representative Marie Harf dodged the direct questions about the Armenian Genocide during the briefing in Washington on Wednesday.

Marie Harf admitted that “there are some who I think were hoping to hear some different language this year. We certainly understand their perspective.” However, she noted that the president consistently stated his views about what happened in 1915.

Responding to her remark, the reported added that there were certainly some people who wanted no change.

Asked whether President Obama believes what happened was a genocide, Marie Harf asked to address the question to the White House. State Department representative also dodged the questions about Obama’s campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide that was not honored.

“The President – and look, we all understand there are some who wanted to hear different language this year, and I do think we can expect that the President will issue a statement this year that marks the historical significance of the centennial, and as in past years, mourns the senseless loss of 1.5 million Armenian lives. So he will speak about this in some way, but I don’t think you should compare any of these issues. I think if you want to talk about Iran and the commitments the President’s made, we can talk about that separately,” Ms. Harf said.

The State Department official admitted “there were discussions inside the interagency about what to say”.

Responding to a remark that the United States never “had this issue in calling the Holocaust what it was,” Marie Harf said she was not going to compare those two events.

Finally asked whether Administration is basically submitting itself to a gag order from the Turks, she made it clear that they “make decisions on our own about what we say and how we talk about things.”