John Marshall Evans

John Marshall Evans served as United States ambassador to the Republic of Armenia. He was confirmed to this position by the U.S. Senate on June 25, 2004. Evans began his service on August 8, 2004, but, as confirmed by President George W. Bush on May 24, 2006, [http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2006/05/433CD274-5EF9-4D3B-B282-199FF039B497.ASP armenialiberty.org – “U.S. Envoy to Armenia Recalled,” May 24, 2006] ] was terminated for undisclosed reasons. [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/35634.htm U.S. State Department biography] – Dead link]

Born in Virginia, Evans studied Russian history at Yale University, earning an undergraduate degree. He pursued doctoral studies at Columbia University but does not hold a Ph.D. He served for the US foreign service in various capacities in Iran, Czechoslovakia, the former Soviet Union, and with NATO. He studied languages and became fluent in Russian and several other foreign languages.

Dismissal from Armenian ambassadorship

Armenian sources have suggested that the sudden dismissal of Evans was due to his strong support for the cause of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. It has been suggested that pressure from Turkey, who is important in U.S. strategy in the Middle East, pressured the Department of State to remove Evans for his personal beliefs and statements. [http://www.anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=965 Armenian National Committee of America – Press Release June 20, 2006] : “Armenian American Community Looks to Senate Confirmation Hearing for Answers to Amb. Evans Firing”] [http://www.anca.org/press_releases/press_releases.php?prid=716 Armenian National Committee of America – Press Release March 1, 2005] : “Rep. Pallone Welcomes Amb. Evans’ Remarks Recognizing the Armenian Genocide”]

Since Evans's dismissal, the Armenian National Committee of America has put pressure on the U.S. Senate to postpone the appointment of Richard E. Hoagland, the new nominee for the ambassadorship to Armenia, until the Bush administration clarifies the reason for Evans' dismissal and on the suspicion that Hoagland does not sympathize with Armenian causes. Hoagland was nominated by President Bush during the 109th Congress, during which his nomination did not come up for a vote. The Bush Administration re-nominated Hoagland when the 110th session of the Unites States Congress convened, but the nomination has not yet been confirmed.

References

External links

* [http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=John_Evans Armeniapedia.org article]