Armenian National Committee of America
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PRESS RELEASE
September 24, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ARMENIAN CAUCUS RALLIES CONGRESSIONAL OPPOSITION TO
AZERBAIJAN’S INCREASINGLY VIOLENT ANTI-ARMENIAN RHETORIC
— Co-Chairmen Urge 141 Members of Caucus to Voice
their Concerns in a letter to President Bush
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressmen Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank
Pallone (D-NJ) this week called on their colleagues in the Armenian
Caucus to ask President Bush to publicly condemn Azerbaijan’s war
rhetoric and other increasingly bellicose remarks against the
Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh, reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
In a “Dear Colleague” letter circulated this week, the Caucus Co-
Chairs documented a series of violent threats on the part of senior
Azerbaijan leaders. Citing the dangers of remaining silent in the
face of such angry rhetoric, they urged their House colleagues to
“join us in signing the attached letter to the President urging him
and the Administration to condemn these remarks and call upon the
government of Azerbaijan to desist in making any further threats
against Armenia and Karabagh.” The letter to President Bush
stresses that, “efforts to reinforce stability and reduce the risk
of conflict are in the best interests of the United States and the
region.”
The full texts of the Armenian Caucus “Dear Colleague” letter and
the actual letter to be sent to President Bush are provided below.
#####
1) Text of Armenian Caucus “Dear Colleague” letter
September 22, 2004
Azerbaijan’s War Rhetoric against Armenia Threatens Stability and
Undermines U.S. Interests
Sign Letter to President Bush
Dear Colleague:
As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, we are
writing to urge you to sign the attached letter to President Bush
imploring him to publicly condemn the ongoing Azerbaijani war
rhetoric and other increasingly bellicose remarks made against the
Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Left unchecked these
dangerous comments threaten stability in the region.
In July, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman called for Azerbaijan’s
takeover of Armenia and removal of its entire population. He
said, “In the next 25-30 years there will be no Armenian state in
the South Caucasus. This nation has been a nuisance for its
neighbors and has no right to live in this region. Present-day
Armenia was built on historical Azerbaijani lands. I believe that
in 25 to 30 years these territories will once again come under
Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction.”
President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has repeatedly declared that
Azerbaijan could launch a new war in Karabakh. Just two months
ago, he stated, “At any moment we must be able to liberate our
territories by military means. To achieve this we have everything.”
Aliyev has directly linked Azerbaijan’s economic progress to its
military “superiority.” “Under these circumstances we cannot react
positively to those calling us to compromise.”
Given the challenges facing the United States following the seminal
events of September 11th and the war in Iraq, these irresponsible
statements undermine our short- and long-term policy goals of
security, conflict resolution, ensuring open borders and commercial
corridors and regional cooperation for the South Caucasus.
Furthermore, the Karabakh peace process will achieve nothing if
Azerbaijan is allowed to risk war and predict ethnic cleansing with
impunity.
To this end, we urge you to join us in signing the attached letter
to the President urging him and the Administration to condemn these
remarks and call upon the government of Azerbaijan to desist in
making any further threats against Armenia and Karabakh. For more
information or to co-sign the letter, please contact Craig Albright
(5-5802) with Congressman Knollenberg.
Sincerely,
[signed]
Joe Knollenberg
Member of Congress
[signed]
Frank Pallone, Jr.
Member of Congress
2) Text of Congressional letter to President Bush
September XX, 2004
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
We are writing to strongly urge you to condemn the ongoing
Azerbaijani war rhetoric and other increasingly bellicose remarks
made against the Republic of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. These
statements undermine U.S. interests in the region.
As you know, a cease-fire in the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh was
established in 1994 and sensitive peace negotiations to achieve a
final agreement are ongoing. However, the government of Azerbaijan
continues to make dangerous claims and threaten war against
Armenia. This war rhetoric has continued unabated, and has
intensified in recent months.
In July, as reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman called for Azerbaijan’s
takeover of Armenia and removing its entire population. He said,
“In the next 25-30 years there will be no Armenian state in the
South Caucasus. This nation has been a nuisance for its neighbors
and has no right to live in this region. Present-day Armenia was
built on historical Azerbaijani lands. I believe that in 25 to 30
years these territories will once again come under Azerbaijan’s
jurisdiction.” Mr. President, this reprehensible call for ethnic
cleansing and even genocide warrants the strongest possible reply
from our country.
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has repeatedly declared
that Azerbaijan could launch a new war in Karabakh. Just two
months ago, he stated, “At any moment we must be able to liberate
our territories by military means. To achieve this we have
everything.” Aliyev has directly linked Azerbaijan’s economic
progress to its military “superiority.” “Under these circumstances
we cannot react positively to those calling us to compromise,”
Aliyev stated.
Last year, as reported by BBC Monitoring, Azerbaijani Defense
Minister General Safar Abiyev said that occasional violations of
the cease-fire were “natural” since Azerbaijan is still “at war.”
Statements like this not only undermine the peace process, but can
also serve to actually encourage attacks against Armenia.
Just this month, NATO cancelled its Cooperative Best Effort (CBE)
2004 exercises in Baku, Azerbaijan after the government of
Azerbaijan barred Armenia from participating. U.S. General James
Jones, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, expressed
regret over Azerbaijan’s refusal to honor its host obligations to
accept delegates from all interested partners. As part of its
commitment to international security in the Caucasus, Armenia
welcomed both Azerbaijan and Turkey to participate in the NATO CBE
2003 exercises in Yerevan, Armenia.
Efforts to reinforce stability and reduce the risk of conflict are
in the best interests of the United States and the region. The
Nagorno Karabakh peace process will achieve nothing if Azerbaijan
is allowed to risk war and predict ethnic cleansing with impunity.
To this end, we urge that you condemn these remarks and call upon
the government of Azerbaijan to desist in making any further
threats against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Sincerely,