PRESS RELEASE
AMERICANS FOR ARTSAKH
Contact: Hrant Jamgochian
[email protected]
Tel: 202-215-1800
AMERICANS FOR ARTSAKH: PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release ¤ November 15, 2014
Contact: Mark Dietzen ¤ [email protected]
AMERICANS FOR ARTSAKH DENOUNCES AZERBAIJAN’S DOWNING OF A NKR HELICOPTER;
CALLS ON THE UNITED STATES TO CONFRONT THE ALIYEV REGIME
WASHINGTON, DC – Americans for Artsakh (AFA) condemns Azerbaijan for
shooting down a Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army helicopter on November
12 near the Line-of-Contact between Azerbaijani and Nagorno Karabakh
Republic (NKR) armed forces. We call on the United States
Administration to confront the Azerbaijani regime for its blatant
aggression.
The helicopter was part of a training exercise and was not armed,
according to the NKR Ministry of Defense. Over the past three days
since the helicopter was downed, Azerbaijani forces have continued to
fire upon the aircraft wreckage, preventing emergency rescue personnel
from accessing the crash site, where one of three pilots may still be
alive.
Azerbaijan’s deliberate aggression marks a significant escalation in
its ongoing violations of the Ceasefire Agreement it signed with the
NKR and Armenia in 1994. In fact, Baku’s destruction of the NKR
helicopter was the first downing of a military aircraft since the
ceasefire was signed over twenty years ago.
This violent act against Artsakh is symptomatic of Azerbaijan’s
destructive policy, which perpetuates a dangerous cycle of violence
and postpones a peaceful and comprehensive settlement to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. The attack has further entrenched distrust between
Armenians and Azerbaijanis, and caused severe damage to the peace
process.
We urge the United States Administration to reevaluate its policy
towards Azerbaijan in light of this incident, condemn Baku for its
aggression, and apply greater pressure on Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev to stop his country’s state-sanctioned violence against the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Artsakh.
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Americans for Artsakh (AFA) is a U.S. non-profit 501(c)3 tax-exempt
organization based in Washington, D.C., whose mission is to preserve
freedom, strengthen democracy, foster economic development, support
education, and protect and promote culture in the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, Artsakh.
1334 G Street, NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005
Tel. (202) 481-3341 ¤ Email: [email protected]
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
