The “Yellow Ribbon” world candlelighting march kicked off on June 28 at 10:00 p.m. in the Republic Square of Armenia. The event organizers were once again speaking out on the Senate hearings for appointing the new U.S. Ambassador to Armenia (which was to take place at 10:00 a.m. on June 28th). All citizens could take part in the hearings, but as a sign of protest, Armenian Americans were going to cover their mouths with yellow ribbons. This demonstration is against the U.S. State Department’s decision to call the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans back and replace him. To this day, the U.S. State Department refuses to give explanations to the Senate’s frequently asked questions regarding this decision.
“The U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans was punished by the U.S. government for telling the truth about the Armenian Genocide. After that, the newly appointed OSCE Minsk Group American co-chairman Matthew Bryza clearly talked about the U.S. government’s objectivity concerning Azerbaijan during an interview on June 22, 2006…We hope that the U.S. government will continue fulfilling its responsibility of being a fair intermediary,” as stated in the message of the organizers.
Participants of the demonstration were handing candles in yellow cups to each other in order to show how the U.S. State Department is treating Armenia. According to our sources, the photographs taken during the demonstration in Yerevan have already fallen into the hands of some Senate members during the hearings.