With the Senate Foreign Relations Committee set to consider U.S. Ambassador to Armenia nominee Marie Yovanovitch at a confirmation hearing on Thursday, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama restated his commitment to U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.) In a letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, Sen. Obama wrote “I share your view that the United States must recognize the events of 1915 to 1923, carried out by the Ottoman Empire, as genocide. We must recognize this tragic reality. The Bush Administration’s refusal to do so is inexcusable, and I will continue to speak out in an effort to move the Administration to change its position.” says Sen. Obama in letter to ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian Sen. Obama went on to cite his concerns about the firing of former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Marshall Evans in 2006 for speaking truthfully about the Armenian Genocide

U.S. officials say there are no talks with Lithuania about hosting a missile defense site, even though talks with Poland’s new government have been moving more slowly than the United States would like.