Russian expert: Image of the Armenian lobby in US suffered tremendous damage

Senator Lindsey Graham has done tremendous damage to the image of the Armenian lobby in the United States, Russian expert Yevgeny Mikhailov said commenting on the decision of Sen. Lindsey Graham to block a congressional resolution Wednesday that would have recognized the so called "Armenian genocide".

"The blocking of the resolution on the recognition of the alleged genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire more than ever showed the real place of Yerevan in Washington’s foreign policy. And it is necessary only for pressure on the Turks and no more," Mikhailov said.

According to him, Ankara does not intend to be led by the past.

"Washington is not stupid, it knows what is going on behind the scenes in particular, that the Armenian issue for the Turks is rather not a 'red rag', but just another irritant of Turkish-American relations. If they break, Washington could lose a lot, and above all, NATO’s largest ally," the Russian analyst said.

The expert noted that the world has witnessed not only the defeat of the Armenians, who lobbied for the recognition of "genocide", but also a certain message from US President Donald Trump and his administration to the entire Armenian diaspora living in the United States.

According to him, the events of 1915 in the Ottoman Empire have been little studied by historians, therefore, they should not be submitted to some political discussion between the two powers.

"I would like to note that the beginning of the 20th century brought grief to many peoples, so let's not engage in profanity in an attempt to recognize the genocide of all those who suffered at that time, instead of recognizing historical errors and conclusions about how not to commit such a crime in our time," summed up the expert.