At the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearings on the Armenian Genocide resolution 252 congressmen stressed the importance to recognize the Armenian Genocide right now, Koryun Nahapetyan, Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) member told a news conference in Yerevan jointly held with MP from RPA parliamentary group Artak Zakaryan. According to Koryun Nahapetyan, U.S. congressmen reaffirmed their commitment to universal values. The decision of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs is first and very important step in the legislative process, since other steps are not possible without it, he said.
"On the day following the Committee's vote, we met with the chairman of U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs Howard L. Berman to discuss the next steps,” he said. According to Nahapetyan, Berman couldn’t yet make any predictions.
Koryun Nahapetyan expressed hope that the resolution will be included in the House of Representatives plenary agenda before the U.S. Congress elections. "111th Congress will be acting before November 2010. By that time the Armenian Genocide resolution must be included in the agenda of the plenary session of the House of Representatives," RPA member said. According to him, the Armenian Genocide recognition will not damage the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation. "The processes are still ongoing and the outcomes of events may lead to different situations, “ Artak Zakaryan said.
On March 4, US House Foreign Affairs Committee's passed a resolution recognizing and commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The resolution was passed by a vote of 23-22.
