America Foreign Service Association deprived the USA ambassador in Armenia of its award

It must be mentioned that, the AFSA composed of the USA State Department acting and former officials reward the diplomats remarked for “Constructive difference of opinion” with Christian A.Herter award .The award aims to improve creative thinking and intellectual courage and rewarded the diplomats not abstaining from expressing their opinion in State Department bureaucracy.

J.Evans’ candidacy was nominated for calling the events happened in 1915 as “genocide” in his speech before the Armenian community in California this year. Ambassador Evans stated that the matter should be discussed more open and fair and that will never do for Americans to play with words in this case. The ambassador went far saying to the Armenian Diaspora that “All know that Garabagh can not be given to Azerbaijan” on that day.

However, as J.Evans’ words caused serious dissatisfaction and diplomatic scandal, the ambassador not only took his words back but also had to explain the reason. He told that he had expressed his own view point by calling the events happened in Ottoman Empire in 1915 as “genocide” not the official one. Therefore AFSA will not present the award to J.Evans.

AFSA president John Limbert told the newspaper “Washington Post” that the members of the election committee discussed J.Evans’ candidacy and decided that he does not meet the criteria of winner.

/APA/