MYTHS HAVE A HABIT OF EXPLODING

US President Barack Obama is not the first and probably will not be the last head of the American state who after every annual address to the Armenian community in his country on 24 April faces attacks from this very community. Instead of gratitude for the fact that the head of such a large state devotes separate attention to their aspirations, all the US presidents get back from the Armenians is an outburst of criticism and threats against them. The fact that the presidents of this country call a spade a spade is not to the liking of the Armenian diaspora which is influential in American political circles.

And this is what has happened this year. In his traditional address to the Armenians on the occasion of the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, Barack Obama, like his predecessors, did not use the expression "genocide of the Armenians".

"I have consistently stated my own view of what occurred in1915. My view of that history has not changed. It is in all our interests to have a full, frank and just acknowledgement of the facts. One cannot approach the future without studying the events of the past. Some people have already made this bold step. We greet those Armenians and Turks who have already travelled this path and we hope that many others will also choose this path, with the help of their governments and with my support," Barack Obama said, thus provoking not only criticism but threats from the Armenian community. 

It is perfectly logical that, in paying tribute to history, the US president at the same time should be in no hurry to give his assessment of it without thorough and objective research by scholars. But such a position runs counter to the intentions of Armenia and the Armenian lobby who categorically refuse to open their archives to historians. For example, Eduard Sharmazanov, vice chairman of the Armenian National Assembly, said "the fact of the genocide of the Armenians can never in any way become a subject of debate".

For its part, the American Armenian Assembly expressed its profound disappointment that the US president "did not give an appropriate definition of the genocide of the Armenians in his annual address, describing it as "slaughter".

But Obama did not escape merely with criticism - he was also threatened with being denied the support of the Armenian community at the coming elections. "Barack Obama has wasted his last opportunity before the presidential elections in November to recognize the genocide," says Armenia Today, voicing the opinion of representatives of Armenian organizations in the US. They predict that a large section of the Armenian community in the US, unlike in 2008, may not vote for the incumbent president.

Elizabeth Chouldjian, who is responsible for liaison with the public of "Ai Dat's" Washington office, in an interview for Radio Azatutyun, said: "In 2008 the Armenian community in the US voted for Obama, believing his promises. Obama said that he recognizes the genocide of the Armenians, he will strengthen links between Armenia and the US, promising also to take up a precise and fair position on the question of Karabakh. Barack Obama has not fulfilled a single one of these promises."

As far as Karabakh is concerned, according to Chouldjian, here Obama took a step that was clearly not to the liking of the Armenians by appointing Matthew Bryza as American ambassador to Baku. "We have seen what candidate Obama has nominated for the post of ambassador to Baku - Matthew Bryza. It is now crystal clear that he adopted a pro-Azerbaijani position over that period," the press secretary of "Ai Dat's" Washington office noted.

It should be pointed out Bryza has completed his mission and it is already known that President Obama has nominated Richard Morningstar for the post of US ambassador to Azerbaijan. The US president's choice in itself says much about Washington's priorities in the region. And if you take into consideration the fact that, as special envoy of the US State Department for energy questions in Eurasia, Morningstar already has fairly close relations with Azerbaijan, then, by following Chouldjian's logic, Armenia has something to worry about this time, too. But this is the subject of another conversation.

For the moment it is worth drawing attention to the fact that Obama's recent address not only evoked the usual disappointment among the Armenians but also caused a crisis both in relations between the state and the diaspora and also within the diaspora itself. This is shown by articles that appeared in the Armenian press after Obama's speech.

"The fact is that although the United States of America has not officially recognized the genocide of the Armenians, nevertheless, every 24 April presidents address a special message on this. Of interest in this regard is the position of our, so to speak, strategic partner (Russia - R+), whose authorities on 24 April, it seems, do not particularly remember the tragedy suffered by the friendly Armenian people, do not try to make statements and write messages, thereby supporting the people who are described as a strategic ally. And it seems the Armenian people are not exhibiting enough particularly sensitive attention to this matter. As if that is how it should be. Instead of this we may be disappointed that the US, and then France and other states are not showing the kind of attention we want them to," writes Ovannes Mandakuni, an analyst of the "First Armenian Information", who concludes: "So this example clearly shows that qualitatively low level, that starting, almost zero foundation, on which Armenia's state policy is built."

And an article in the "Lragir" newspaper says: "Kim Kardashian said that she intends to stand for mayor of Glendale. A star of striptease, sometimes even porno, wants to be useful to the Armenian community," the Armenian publication says ironically and asks the rhetorical question: "There has always been a strong and influential Armenian community in the US - businessmen, politicians, lobbyists. What's become of this community?"

Clearly, an idea which at one time united Armenians scattered all over the world, is today becoming a bone of contention between them. And the myth about a powerful Armenian lobby is being exploded along with the myth of the "genocide of the Armenians".