AGBU Press Office 55 East 59th Street New York, NY 10022-1112 Website: www.agbu.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, June 9, 2017 AGBU EUROPE LAUNCHES APPEAL CALLING ON THE EUROPEAN UNION TO PROVIDE AID TO THE PEOPLE OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH On June 7, AGBU Europe launched an appeal calling on the European Union and European aid organizations to engage with the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh (NKR) is a landlocked mountainous territory in the South Caucasus, home to 150,000 people. It is one of the several unrecognized states that emerged from the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, and the Republic of Azerbaijan claims sovereignty over NKR. It is one of the most impoverished areas in the periphery. The inhabitants of this small unrecognized state have been under continuous threat of war and isolation for more than 20 years, which has caused considerable hardship. A blockade continues to impact the daily life of the people, who also suffer from the highest mine-related casualty rate in the world. The EU does not provide direct aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, in contrast to other territories under dispute, such as Northern Cyprus, Abkhazia or Transnistria, which have received substantial benefits from EU engagement and aid. "We call on all those who believe in Europe to sign onto this appeal. We stand ready to work with European institutions as well as with international NGOs to find ways to respond to the needs of the civilian population in Nagorno-Karabakh," says Nadia Gortzounian, President of AGBU Europe. Despite the isolation and economic hardship, Nagorno-Karabakh focuses on the development of democracy. It is making considerable efforts to improve institutions and strengthen civil society. AGBU Europe has published a video and information package aimed at explaining the case for EU engagement in NKR. The appeal can be signed online at: change.org/p/we-want-europe-in-nagorno-karabakh Watch the short video: youtube.com/watch?v=P7KFWOuL6bc For more information, please visit Campaign for European Union Aid in Nagorno-Karabakh: agbueurope.org/campaign-for-eu-aid-to-karabakh Find out what more you can do to support this campaign: agbueurope.org/donate-agbu-europe-campaign-for-european-union-aid-to-nagorno-karabakh AGBU Europe coordinates and develops the pan-European activities of the Armenian General Benevolent Union. AGBU Europe runs numerous programs in fields relating to academic research, the preservation and promotion of heritage, education and culture as well as awareness raising, advocacy and leadership training. Established in 1906, AGBU (www.agbu.org) is the world's largest non-profit Armenian organization. Headquartered in New York City, AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs, annually touching the lives of some 500,000 Armenians around the world. For more information about AGBU and its worldwide programs, please visit www.agbu.org. ************************************************* PHOTO CAPTIONS: EU-NKR.jpg: AGBU Europe launches a campaign calling on the European Union to provide aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
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EUinNKR.docx
EUinNKR.docx