Top Obama aides ‘sorry’ they did not recognize Armenian genocide

Nahal Toosi

Two top aides to former President Barack Obama say his administration failed by not officially declaring that the mass slaughter of Armenians roughly 100 years ago constituted genocide — a topic that threatens America’s fragile relationship with Turkey.

"It was a mistake," said Ben Rhodes, who served as a deputy national security adviser in the Obama administration. "We should have recognized the Armenian genocide."

"I'm sorry," added Samantha Power, Obama's ambassador to the United Nations. "I'm sorry that we disappointed so many Armenian Americans."

Starbucks becomes flashpoint between Turks, Armenians

Pinar Tremblay

 

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) posted on Feb. 18 a picture of women with traditional Armenian gear, holding a Starbucks coffee cup, under the Turkish crescent and star flags on their Facebook account. Under the photo, which was displayed at the Mulholland and Calabasas stores in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles, ANCA posed the question: “Why is Starbucks selling coffee using an image of women, dressed in traditional Armenian costumes, celebrating a Turkish state that systematically victimized Armenian women during the Armenian genocide, and that still denies this crime against all humanity?” Starbucks, known as a rather liberal establishment, promptly issued an apology and removed the posters, which were displayed in a couple of locations in Southern California. The photographer responsible for the design of the poster, Timothy Rose, also issued an apology on his Web page explaining that he had not known the women were Armenian.

The Armenian Orphan Rug Will Be Displayed at the White House from November 18-23, 2014

On October 15, 2014 the White House confirmed earlier reports that it will, in fact, display the Armenian genocide "Orphan Rug" as part of an exhibit at the newly renovated White House Visitor Center next month, which will run from November 18 to 23, reported Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA).

The exhibit – entitled “Thank You to the United States: Three Gifts to Presidents in Gratitude for American Generosity Abroad” – will showcase the Orphan Rug, also known as the Ghazir rug, as well as the Sèvres vase, given to President Herbert Hoover in 1930 in appreciation for feeding children in post-World War I France, and the Flowering Branches in Lucite, given to President Barack Obama in recognition of American support of the people of Japan after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2010.