US policy on the Armenian Genocide, Cyprus, and the Ecumenical Patriarchate took center stage at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 20 hearing as Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) pressed US Ambassador-designate to Turkey, Francis Ricciardone, on a range of concerns dealing with America's increasingly strained ties with its NATO ally, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

"I don't understand how the Turkish leadership doesn't understand that it is in its interest to move beyond that agenda or, for that fact, come to a historical recognition of what most of the world recognizes as it relates to the Armenian Genocide," Sen. Menendez said.

In his prepared testimony presented to the panel, Ambassador-designate Ricciardone echoed the standard formulation that the Obama Administration has used to avoid honoring the President's campaign pledge to recognize the Armenian Genocide while still striving to maintain a ?emblance of credibility on this human rights issue by referring to the candidate Obama's "personal" recognition of this crime.

"Facilitating regional integration is a high priority for the United States. Rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia will foster increased stability and prosperity in the entire Caucasus region. As President Obama noted in his Armenian Remembrance Day statement of April 24th, 'Together, the Turkish and Armenian people will be stronger as they acknowledge their common history and recognize their common humanity.'

We commended the governments of Turkey and Armenia on their signing of the historic protocols on normalization of relations on October 10, 2009 in Zurich.

Both countries publicly reiterated their commitment to normalization this spring. The United States will continue to urge Turkey to ratify the protocols, and we will support programs that build understanding between Turks and Armenians," said Ricciardone.

In response to a question from Senator Menendez about the issues he would be "advocating as our Ambassador as it relates to the question of the Armenian Genocide," Ricciardone recited the State Department's stock answer on the topic: "Clearly we don't have personal policies that you send us forward to push.

We uphold the policies, the programs, the laws, the interests of the US Government, as given to us by Congress and as determined by the Administration.

On the question of the Congressional resolution, obviously we stand behind the statements of President Obama and Secretary Clinton. President Obama has spoken very forcefully about the events of 1915 as one of the worst atrocities of the 20th Century. He cited the number of 1.5 million people massacred, he used the word massacred, and marching them to their deaths.

He was very forthright about it. Our aim of course is to do all possible to get a normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations and a part of that clearly has to be a frank, full, and just acknowledgment of the history these two people, countries, share. And if confirmed, I will certainly be working for that to the best of my ability in every way possible."