Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIE
Les premiers réfugiés de Kessab arrivent en Arménie

Les deux premiers habitants de Kessab ont trouvé refuge en Arménie et
beaucoup d’autres sont dit être prêt à faire de même près de deux
semaines après que la ville historiquement peuplée d’Arméniens en
Syrie air été prise par les rebelles islamistes.

Stepan Sularian et sa femme Vartine étaient parmi environ 2000
Arméniens de Kessab, la quasi-totalité population de la ville , qui
ont fui leurs maisons lors de l’avancée des forces rebelles , parmi
lesquels des membres d’Al-Qaïda affilié au front Nusra. Le couple a
voyagé vers le Liban voisin avant de s’envoler pour l’Arménie .

> a déclaré Stepan Sularian , ajoutant que la
plupart des Arméniens de Kessab pourrait aisément rentrer dans leurs
foyers si les troupes du gouvernement syrien reprennent le contrôle de
la ville, près de la frontière syro- turque .

Le Ministre des Affaires étrangères de l’Arménie , Edouard Nalbandian,
a condamné .

La situation dans et autour de Kessab était à l’ordre du jour d’une
séance hebdomadaire du gouvernement d’Arménie a eu lieu jeudi . La
ministre de la diaspora Hranush Hakobian a déclaré que les missions
diplomatiques arméniennes en Syrie gardent le contact avec la
communauté locale et font une évaluation de ses besoins . Elle a
accusé les rebelles d’avoir profané les églises arméniennes et pillé
des maisons de Kessab .

Mme Hakobian a également déclaré que des représentants de divers
organismes gouver-nementaux arméniens se sont réunis mercredi pour
discuter des moyens d’aider les Ar-méniens de Kessab . > a-t-elle dit.

Environ 10000 Arméniens de Syrie ont déjà trouvé refuge en Arménie
depuis l’ éclatement du conflit sanglant dans l’état du Moyen-Orient
il y a deux ans . La plupart d’entre eux ont du mal à joindre les deux
bouts

samedi 5 avril 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA: HAS YEREVAN PUSHED PAST A GEOPOLITICAL POINT OF NO RETURN?

EurasiaNet.org
April 4 2014

April 4, 2014 – 11:46am, by Emil Danielyan

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan (right) and Russian President
Vladimir Putin hold bilateral talks in Yerevan in early December 2013.

Armenia, a soon-to-be member of the Eurasian Customs Union, was one
of 11 countries to vote against a UN resolution calling Crimea’s
referendum for independence illegal. (Photo: Armenian Presidential
Press Service)

As the Russia-Ukraine crisis unfolds, the Armenian government is
casting its diplomatic lot with the Kremlin. Some in Yerevan worry
the government is committing a geopolitical blunder by expressing a
clear preference for Russia over the West.

While Armenia has always had a special relationship with Russia,
and hosts Russian troops on its territory, the government tended
to cultivate good relations with the United States and the European
Union. However, in recent months, predating the Euromaidan movement’s
appearance in Kyiv, Yerevan began to lean strongly in Moscow’s
direction, underscored by last fall’s decision of President Serzh
Sargsyan’s administration to opt for membership in the Russian-led
Customs Union over a stronger EU partnership.

A potential watershed moment occurred March 27, when Armenia voted
against a pro-Ukrainian resolution overwhelmingly adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly. The resolution, drafted by Ukraine and backed
by 99 other states, condemned as illegal the March 16 referendum in
Crimea that preceded Russia’s annexation of the peninsula. It was
rejected by only 11 nations, including Russia, Armenia, and such
international pariahs as North Korea, Sudan and Syria.

Commenting on Armenia’s vote, Artak Zakarian, the pro-government
chairperson of the Armenian parliamentary Committee on Foreign
Relations, asked in a March 31 Facebook post, “Why should have Armenia
not supported its ally, if the latter needed such support?”

A statement by UN Ambassador Karen Nazarian emphasized the right to
self-determination, a principle also mentioned by President Sargsyan
in his March 19 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
and long championed by Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Yet
Armenian opposition groups, notably the Prosperous Armenia Party
(BHK), the country’s second largest parliamentary force, have stated
that by joining some of the world’s most notorious “rogue states”
in voting against the Crimea resolution, Yerevan dealt a serious
blow to the country’s international reputation. “Russia is headed
to self-imposed international isolation and it’s dragging us along,”
said Alexander Arzumanian, an opposition lawmaker and former foreign
minister (1996-1998). Arzumanian spoke of a “serious deviation” from
the foreign policy strategy to which successive Armenian governments
had generally adhered since independence in 1991.

“That is very bad for Armenia’s image, and our relations with
the West,” said another former senior diplomat, who did not
want to be identified. “I have never seen such slavishness in
foreign-policy-making before. This cannot do us any good. Even the
Russians are surprised,” he added.

Armenian foreign policy came to be known as “complementary” during the
1998-2008 tenure of former President Robert Kocharian. It essentially
boiled down to combining close political, military and economic
links with Russia, Armenia’s main ally, with growing cooperation
with Western powers in a range of areas, including security. After
succeeding Kocharian in 2008, Sargsyan continued and even stepped
up this delicate balancing act; a policy that earned him relatively
strong US and EU support.

“We are a nation carrying European values and our aim is to
develop our society along the lines of those values,” the Armenian
president declared during a June 2013 visit to Poland. In a letter
to US President Barack Obama sent shortly afterwards, he described
US-Armenian relations as closer than ever before, and claimed that
they serve as a “strong prerequisite” for Armenia’s security and
economic development.

Just two months later, however, Sargsyan abruptly decided to make
Armenia part of the Russian-led Customs Union at the expense of a
far-reaching Association Agreement with the EU. While the volte-face
was widely attributed to Russian pressure, his pro-Russian position
on the Ukraine crisis reinforced that trend.

Some observers wonder what the cost will be to Armenia.

“Whereas in the past, they said in the West that Armenia is under
Russia’s influence, they are now openly calling it a discredited
Russian satellite,” said the former Armenian diplomat. Although Yerevan
will face no punitive Western measures in the months to come, he noted,
this negative perception “will manifest itself over time.”

Washington already declined in December to provide multimillion-dollar
economic assistance to Armenia under its Millennium Challenge Account
program, even though Yerevan in November met domestic reform criteria
set by the US government agency handling the aid scheme. The latter
gave no reasons for the rebuff. Armenia has also missed out on even
more large-scale aid that was promised by the EU before Sargsyan’s
Customs Union U-turn.

Despite the unmistakable signs of a cold front moving in from the West,
the Armenian government continues to speak about of a complementary
foreign policy. On March 6, Sargsyan told a Dublin summit of the
European People’s Party that “Armenia will continue its policy of
complementing and harmonizing interests.” Similarly, Armenian Prime
Minister Tigran Sarkisian, during a March 20 visit to Brussels,
expressed hope that the EU would sign with Armenia, as with Ukraine,
the political segment of an association agreement.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt ruled out such a possibility
on March 23, telling RFE/RL that Armenia no longer has a “political
affinity” with the EU.

For its part, the US has voiced disappointment about Armenia’s vote
against the UN resolution on Crimea, but, in written comments to
EurasiaNet.org, the US Embassy in Yerevan said that it continues
“to engage with Armenia on many issues.”

Among those issues are Armenia’s increased military cooperation with
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which includes Armenian
participation in the NATO-led missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo,
and international efforts to resolve the Karabakh conflict. President
Sargsyan assured visiting members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
on March 27 that his administration remains committed to “the effective
and constructive cooperation” with the alliance.

But whether such cooperation is enough to patch over the growing
differences with the West is uncertain. “I think authorities presume
that this is a temporary deviation [from complementarism] and that
eventually they will be able to get back on track and our Western
partners will understand us,” said Arzumanian. “But I have serious
doubts on this score because such a return would be very difficult.”

Editor’s note: Emil Danielyan is a journalist based in Yerevan.

From: Baghdasarian

MOSCOW PARK RALLY SUPPORTS ARMENIANS IN SYRIAN KESSAB

Russia Today
April 4 2014

COURTESY: RT’s RUPTLY video agency, NO RE-UPLOAD, NO REUSE – FOR
LICENSING, PLEASE, CONTACT

Dozens gathered in Moscow’s Gorky Park to support Armenians who
suffered an extremist attack on the Syrian town of Kessab, home to
over 2,000 Armenians. On March 21, jihadists reportedly crossed into
Syria from Turkey and seized the town in Latakia province. The attack
caused hundreds of local families, mainly Armenian, to flee their
homes and seek shelter in the city of Latakia. The Syrian army had
to launch a special operation to force the extremists out.

view video at

From: Baghdasarian

HYEAID3 CONCERT TO RAISE FUNDS FOR KESSAB

Friday, April 4th, 2014

SARF’s HyeAID3 concert will benefit the displaced Armenians of Kessab

GLENDALE–Over the past two years, the Syrian Armenian Relief Fund
(SARF) Executive Committee has been faithful to its mission, with calls
to action, press releases, fundraisers and two major concerts, HyeAID
and HyeAID2, combining efforts with those of artists and volunteers.

Today’s call to action is to save Kessab.

Join SARF on Tuesday, April 29, at 7 p.m., at the Alex Theatre in
Glendale, Calif., to enjoy performances by beloved and admired artists,
who are volunteering their time for the sake of the Armenians of
Kessab, who two weeks ago fled from their ancestral homes to survive.

Get your tickets at itsmyseat.com/HyeAID or call the telephone numbers
listed on the event flyer.

The following churches, charities and organizations came together
to form the Syrian Armenian Relief Fund (SARF) in August 2012:
Armenian Catholic Eparchy in North America; Armenian Evangelical
Union of North America; Western Diocese of the Armenian Church;
Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America; Armenian
General Benevolent Union; Armenian Missionary Association of America;
Armenian Relief Society of Western U.S.A.; Armenian Democratic
Liberal Party; Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Western U.S.A.;
and Social Democrat Hunchakian Party – Western U.S.A. The SARF mailing
address is P.O. Box 1948, Glendale, CA 91209 1948. The web site is
SyrianArmenianReliefFund.org.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIANS IN GEORGIA ARE ISSUED RUSSIAN PASSPORTS

Trend, Azerbaijan
April 3 2014

Tbilisi, Georgia, April 3

By Nana Kirtzkhalia – Trend:

Residents of Georgia’s Armenian-populated Samtskhe-Javakheti region
(South Georgia) are standing in a queue in front of Russia’s Consulate
in Tbilisi to get Russian passports.

Russia’s Consulate in Tbilisi operates under the auspices of the
Switzerland embassy due to the lack of diplomatic relations with
Georgia.

The residents of the Armenian-populated region who are standing in
a queue avoid contact with media outlets, according to the Trend
correspondent. The region’s residents learned from their relatives
about the facilitated issuance of Russian passports and visas and
arrived in Tbilisi, according to the informed sources.

Prior to the military conflict of 2008, Russia also started the
facilitated procedure of issuing passports, according to Georgian
experts.

Large scale military action was launched in South Ossetia on August
8, 2008. Later, Russian troops occupied Tskhinvali and expelled the
Georgian military.

Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in
late August. In response, Tbilisi ended diplomatic relations with
Moscow and has called the two unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and
South Ossetia occupied territories.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN FM: ATTACK ON KASAB AIDED BY ERDOGAN,SIT-IN OUTSIDE US EMBASSY IN YEREVAN

Syrian Arab News Agency, Syria
April 2 2014

Apr 02, 2014

Moscow, (SANA) Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said the
terrorist groups that attacked Kasab area in Lattakia countryside had
sneaked across the Turkish border, aided and abetted by Erdogan-led
government.

Armenia has been doing its utmost to ensure the interests of
compatriots in Syria, ITAR-TASS quoted the Armenian FM as saying.

“We praise Russia’s reaction to the events,” Nalbandian said.

Russia on Tuesday strongly condemned the brutal acts of terrorist
groups in Syria, stressing that the “UN Security Council should discuss
the massacre against Armenians in Kasab town in Lattakia and give a
preliminary assessment.”

“About 120,000 ethnic Armenians live in Syria – in Kasab and other
areas. Armenians have been forced to leave Kasab and are temporarily
staying in Lattakia. About 70-80 families have found shelter in
churches,” he added.

Armed terrorist groups overran last week the Armenian-populated Kasab
city in Lattakia countryside, backed by the government of the Turkish
Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Armenians call on US Administration to condemn Erdogan’s support to
terrorists in Kasab

Meanwhile, scores of Armenian citizens staged a sit-in outside the
US Embassy in Yerevan, calling on US administration to condemn the
support offered by Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the armed
terrorist groups in Syria in general, and in Kasab in particular.

“We came here to express our concern over the painful events in Kasab
and we are waiting for Washington to clearly condemn behaviors of
Turkey, the member of NATO,” one of the participants in the sit-in
told Journalists.

Syrian citizens from Kasab participated in the sit-in, briefing the
US Deputy Ambassador there on the events in Kasab, explaining to him
the military support offered by Erdogan’s government to the terrorist
groups who attacked Kasab and perpetrated the crimes against civilians
in the city.

M. Ismael/ Mazen

From: Baghdasarian

MINING IN ARMENIA CREATES DANGER OF TOXIC BI-PRODUCTS

El Vaquero
April 3 2014

Moises Torres, Staff Writer

Armenia’s vast landscapes and mountain chains are now under siege as
private mining companies deplete the country’s natural resources.

According to Suzy Petrosyan, a coordinator for Pan Armenian
Environmental Front, Armenia’s ecosystem is rich in natural minerals
and precious metals, making it a bedrock of financial profit.

These minerals and metal are mined, generating wealth for foreign
companies. A plethora of toxic elements are created as a byproduct
of mining. There are 670 mines currently registered in the Republic
of Armenia.

During her presentation to attendees on March 5 in SR 138, Petrosyan
said that Kapan, a city that is torn between two mining operations,
does not receive any of the monetary profit that is generated by
Deno’s Gold, a Canadian mining company.

People in these villages are unemployed and their families are
starving, so they must take jobs offered by Deno’s Gold, where
they suffer human rights violations and are exposed to dense toxic
minerals. The workers have virtually no health care if they get sick,
and if they quit or lose their jobs, they are easily replaceable.

The government privatized a mining plant in the town of Agarak for only
$600,000, with a Russian company now owning 100 percent of the shares.

Kajaran, a small city where a mining plant operates more than 1,000
feet deep into the ground, generated up to 17 million tons of ore
in 2007, which is substantially more than the 12.5 million tons they
are authorized to extract.

The mining of metals poses the largest threat, creating toxic waste
as a bi-product. Without regulation and tougher taxes, more than 300
million tons of poisonous elements are drained into toxic waste dumps.

These toxic waste dumps eventually find their way into rivers, lakes,
and valleys where they become toxic deposits that poison every facet
of the surrounding ecosystem.

The contamination of these precious water systems disrupts the food
environment of the people. The hazardous residue permeates the soil,
which in turn pervades the plants, animals, the people, and the air.

“This is very, very serious,” said Petrosyan. “I’m hoping it doesn’t
get worse. In 15 to 20 years, it won’t be able to be inhabited.”

Yet, the Armenian government claims mining as their its major source
of revenue.

In 2004, the government sold copper for $132 million to a foreign
company. A year later, the company that purchased it, generated $190
million in annual profit.

“Banks provide millions upon millions of dollars in loans to fund
mining operations,” said Petrosyan.

The Armenian government increased the scope of privileges towards
private companies and has few regulations capping private companies.

They are allowed to dump toxic waste and mine on deforested land,
which is already an issue, having to pay virtually nothing.

The goal of private mining companies is to maximize profit in the least
amount of time, taking “the sooner, the better” kind of approach. This
short-term monetary plan benefits the Armenian government and private
companies more than it does the people.

A lot of the money generated by mining is exported to offshore
accounts, leaving Armenia without any real monetary benefit.

Armenia has become a country that generates wealth for other countries
through the depletion of its natural sources.

“The environment is going to be a toxic waste dump for many years to
come and it’s going to cost millions to stop this,” said Petrosyan.

From: Baghdasarian

US REPRESENTATIVES INTRODUCE RESOLUTION AGAINST TURKEYÂ~@~YS BAN ON TWITTER AND YOUTUBE

Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
April 2 2014

Tolga TANIÅ~^WASHINGTON / Hurriyet

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The U.S. Congress resolutions condemning Turkey have been increasing
recently with Turkey’s ban on social websites Twitter and YouTube.

Four members of the U.S. House of the Representatives on April 1
prepared a resolution calling on Turkey to remove the bans on the
social media, following a condemnation from two U.S. Senators last
month over blocking the social media sites and a complaint letter
sent to President Barrack Obama.

Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee Anna
Eshoo, and three key members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Reps.

Tom Marino (R-Penn.), Joe Kennedy III (D-Mass.) and Bill Keating
(D-Mass.), introduced a resolution on April 1 calling on the Turkish
government to remove its block on Twitter and YouTube.

“Freedom of expression and freedom of the press are foundational
pillars to any functioning democracy,” Eshoo said. “Social media,
such as Twitter and YouTube, has enhanced these pillars serving as
transformational instruments for social policy change to billions of
people who use them on a daily basis. By introducing this resolution,
we stand united against actions that restrict Internet freedom in
Turkey and around the world.”

“In these modern times, open access to the Internet has become
essential for individuals to engage in free expression,” said Marino,
who serves as Vice-Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and
Emerging Threats. “For this reason, the U.S. Congress must encourage
our partners in Turkey to restore access to social media outlets
and the Internet as a whole in order to preserve this fundamental
civil right. The resolution we are introducing today will send an
important message that Turkey not only must restore access to Twitter
and YouTube, but more broadly protect its citizens’ rights to express
themselves, assemble peacefully, and allow for a free and fair press
to flourish.”

“In today’s world, Twitter and other social media outlets are critical
vehicles by which millions of ordinary citizens access the political
process and engage with their elected officials. By restricting these
basic freedoms, the Turkish government is threatening the foundation
its democracy rests on,” said Kennedy.

“The Turkish government will need to do more to demonstrate the
strength of its democratic institutions. Certainly, a good first step
to restore the trust and faith of the Turkish population as well as the
international business community will be to reverse the decision to ban
social media within Turkey,” said Keating, who serves as Ranking Member
of the House Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.

The resolution followed another resolution introduced by U.S. Senators
Chris Murphy and Ron Johnson condemning the Turkish government for
blocking Twitter and YouTube and restricting freedom of expression
on March 27.

One day after the two Senators’ resolution, 34 members of the U.S.

House of Representatives have expressed their concerns over moves by
the Turkish government restricting social media.

Expressing concerns of the rule of law in Turkey, the letter, opened
up for signature in the House by Republican Congressman Luke Messer
of Indiana, asked the Obama administration to strongly demand Turkey
to protect its’ citizens democratic freedoms and rights.

Apart from the ban on Twitter and YouTube, another reason for the
increase of the resolutions against Turkey in the U.S. congress can
be seen as upcoming April 24, the day when the Armenian Genocide is
globally commemorated.

April/02/2014

From: Baghdasarian

KIM KARDASHIAN WADES INTO SYRIA WAR DEBATE

Associated Press International
April 1, 2014 Tuesday 5:32 PM GMT

DIAA HADID, Associated Press
BEIRUT

BEIRUT (AP) – Kim Kardashian has waded into Syria’s conflict, calling
on fans through Twitter to save the ancient Armenian Christian village
of Kassab, whose residents fled as rebels seized control of the hamlet
in late March.

She appeared to have bolstered false claims by loyalists of Syrian
President Bashar Assad, who said Syrian rebels desecrated the village’s
churches and slaughtered residents. She used the #SaveKessab hashtag
that was used to spread the false claims, causing its popularity
to explode.

“If you don’t know what’s going on in Kessab please google it … As
an Armenian, I grew up hearing so many painful stories,” Kardashian
wrote in a March 30 tweet, using an alternate spelling of the village’s
name. “Please let’s not let history repeat itself!!!!!!

Let’s get this trending!!!! #SaveKessab #ArmenianGenocide,” she wrote.

In doing so, the celebrity of Armenian descent underscored how Syria’s
war, more than any other in history, has been waged on social media,
with both supporters of President Bashar Assad and those opposing
his rule using selectively chosen videos and photos, sometimes faked,
recycled or altered, to support their grievances.

While wartime propaganda is as old as conflict itself, the Syrian
conflict is a particularly unique case where all combatants heavily
use social media, opening a window into a conflict that reporters
can barely enter.

Kardashian’s use of the two hashtags side-by-side, “#SaveKessab” and
“#ArmenianGenocide” also suggested she was also linking the flight
of most of Kassab’s 2,000 residents to the deaths of an estimated
1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman forces in the early 20th century.

The event is widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the
20th century. Turkey, however, denies that the deaths constituted
genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed
were victims of civil war and unrest.

Kardashian’s publicist Ina Treciokas said Kardashian was “just voicing
her support for Armenians” and said she had no additional comment.

Kassab’s residents fled after rebels seized their village on March 23,
as part of a rebel offensive in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia,
Assad’s ancestral heartland.

There are no credible reports that rebels killed any residents,
or that they inflicted major damage on churches.

Kardashian appeared to have moved on since.

Her Kassab tweets were followed by a flurry of sultry selfies of her
riding on a boat in a skimpy top and long skirt with hashtags like
#WishYouWereHere and #WhatALife. She has been posting from Thailand
in recent days, including one that shows her sitting at the entry of
a temple featuring the Buddha.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this report from
Los Angeles.

From: Baghdasarian

PALLONE REQUESTS INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR ASSISTANCE TO ARMENIA, NAGORNO KARABAKH IN APPROPRIATIONS BILL

Politicker NJ
April 2 2014

By Raymond |

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), along with
27 members of Congress, sent the following letter today to Chairwoman
Kay Granger and Ranking Member Nita Lowey of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related
Programs. In preparing the Fiscal Year 2015 State, Foreign Operations,
and Related Programs Appropriations bill, the lawmakers are requesting
that the subcommittee support increased funding for U.S. assistance
to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Specifically, the representatives are asking the subcommittee to direct
the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) to spend at least
$5 million in FY 2015 for humanitarian and development programs in
Nagorno Karabakh and to ensure that at least $40 million in overall FY
2015 economic aid is appropriated for Armenia. The group also requested
that the U.S. close distribution gaps in need-based aid to at-risk
populations in Syria, including Armenians and Christian communities,
fund sustainable job creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti
region of Georgia, and suspend military aid to Azerbaijan until
their government ceases cross-border attacks into Nagorno Karabakh
and Armenia and agrees to settle regional conflicts by peaceful means.

Below is the full text of the letter:

April 2, 2014

The Honorable Kay Granger

Chairwoman

Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs

Room HT-2, The Capitol Building

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Nita Lowey

Ranking Member

Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related
Programs

1016 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairwoman Granger and Ranking Member Lowey:

We are writing to underscore the importance of strengthening our ties
with Armenia and empowering American diplomacy through continued U.S.

assistance for Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh, the Samtskhe-Javakheti
region of Georgia, and at-risk minorities in the Middle East. Given
recent events, U.S. support in the region is critically important.

As you work with your colleagues in preparing the Fiscal Year 2015
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill,
we respectfully ask that you consider the following requests:

Assistance to Nagorno Karabakh:

Direct U.S. aid to Nagorno Karabakh has, for more than a decade and
a half, represented a powerful investment in peace and an expression
of America’s leadership in support of a negotiated and democratic
resolution of security and status issues related to the Republic of
Nagorno Karabakh. This direct aid has met pressing humanitarian needs,
most recently providing for desperately needed clean water to families
and the clearing of mines and unexploded ordnance from villages and
farmlands. We thank the Subcommittee for its longstanding leadership
in support of this aid program and for consistently including language
in its report calling for U.S.

assistance in Nagorno Karabakh.

We request that the Subcommittee include language directing USAID to
spend at least $5 million in Fiscal Year 2015 for humanitarian and
development programs in Nagorno Karabakh.

Suspension of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan:

The oil-rich government of Azerbaijan, which routinely threatens to
start a new war with Armenia, is listed as one of the most corrupt in
the world, and has been ruled by the Aliyev family for much of the
past half-century. Azerbaijan neither needs nor deserves American
military aid.

Azerbaijan continues to launch cross-border attacks not only into
Nagorno Karabakh, but also Armenia, a NATO Partnership for Peace
country with troops serving in both Afghanistan and Kosovo. The
President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, regularly threatens to renew
full-scale hostilities, refuses U.S. and international calls to
pull back snipers, has made land claims against Armenia, and openly
incites anti-Armenian hatred, including against Americans of Armenian
descent. As was widely reported in the international media, on August
31, 2012, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev personally pardoned
an unrepentant, convicted murderer for killing a NATO Partnership
for Peace participant because he was Armenian. Immediately after his
pardon, this convicted murderer received a promotion in the Azerbaijani
military, an apartment, and years of back pay for his prison time. The
pardon was condemned around the world, including by President Obama,
Members of Congress, European Parliament, OSCE, Council of Europe,
and NATO.

We request that the Subcommittee suspend the appropriation of Fiscal
Year 2015 U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan until its government ceases
cross-border attacks, ends its threats of renewed war, and agrees to
a settlement of regional conflicts through peaceful means.

Assistance to Armenia:

Armenia, a crucial ally in a strategic region of the world, has
extended robust support for U.S.-led peace-keeping deployments in
Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kosovo, and is cooperating with the U.S. on a
broad range of regional and security challenges. Armenia is regularly
ranked highly by the Wall Street Journal/ Heritage Foundation Index
of Economic Freedom, and met the Fiscal Year 2014 eligibility criteria
for the Millennium Challenge Corporation.

At the same time, the people of landlocked Armenia continue to
face the devastating impact of Turkey and Azerbaijan’s dual economic
blockades. Our assistance has played a vital role in helping alleviate
these blockades and promoting Armenia’s free market system and
democratic development.

We respectfully request that the Subcommittee include language within
the Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia Account ensuring
that not less than $40 million in overall Fiscal Year 2015 economic
aid (including Economic Support Fund, International Narcotics Control
and Law Enforcement, and Global Health Programs), is appropriated
for Armenia.

Assistance to Christian and other minority communities in the Middle
East:

Distribution gaps in need-based international aid deliveries to Aleppo,
Syria and other areas of the country have resulted in desperately
needed food, medicine, and other relief supplies not reaching
Armenians, Christian communities, and other at-risk and vulnerable
minorities. At the same time, thousands from Syria, including many
Christians, have sought safe-haven in Armenia.

Armenia, a majority-Christian state, has received very modest U.S. and
international relief and resettlement assistance, particularly
compared with the per-capita level of such aid provided to Turkey,
Jordan, and other regional countries.

We request that the Subcommittee instruct the State Department and
USAID to put in place policies and programs to close gaps in the
distribution of need-based aid to at-risk minority populations in
Syria, including Armenians and other Christians.

We further ask that the Subcommittee instruct the State Department
and USAID to ensure the allocation to Armenia of a proportional level
of the U.S. and international aid supporting the efforts to regional
states to resettle those fleeing from Syria.

Assistance to the Javakhk Region in Georgia:

We encourage the Subcommittee, as part of a robust U.S. aid package
to Georgia, to expand on U.S. assistance previously targeted to
the largely Armenian-populated region of Samtskhe-Javakheti in
south-central Georgia, including funding for job-creation programs
and ongoing improvements to transportation and communication
infrastructure.

Over the past decade, USAID and the Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC) have expanded their presence in Samtskhe-Javakheti in an effort
to address core humanitarian and economic difficulties that face the
population. Over the past several years, Americans of Armenian heritage
have worked with USAID to leverage existing U.S. aid programs and to
pursue public-private partnerships.

We request that the Subcommittee include language directing USAID to
target at least 10 percent of Fiscal Year 2015 aid to Georgia to fund
sustainable job-creation programs in Samtskhe-Javakheti.

Enhancing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act:

Enacted in 1992, Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act stands as
a statement of U.S. opposition to Azerbaijan’s blockades and other
aggressive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. Since
its enactment, Azerbaijan has not lifted its illegal blockades and
has ignored U.S. calls to cease its destabilizing threats.

In light of Baku’s actions, we urge the Subcommittee to add the
following language narrowing the President’s waiver authority and
requiring the following additional certification requirement: “In the
last fiscal year, Azerbaijan has not taken hostile action, either
through military force or incitement, including but not limited to
threatening pronouncements by government officials toward Armenia or
Nagorno Karabakh, and has both stated and demonstrated its commitment
to pursuing a lasting peace with Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh through
solely non-violent means.”

Ending the Exclusion of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh from the
Peace Process:

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic was one of the three parties to the 1994
cease-fire, which ended military hostilities between Nagorno Karabakh
and Azerbaijan. In its aftermath, Nagorno Karabakh participated in
the OSCE Minsk Group peace process as a partner, along with Armenia
and Azerbaijan. Since 1998, however, at Baku’s insistence, Nagorno
Karabakh has been excluded from the peace process. Nagorno Karabakh
should, in the interests of peace and basic fairness, be permitted
to fully participate in all talks regarding its future.

We respectfully request that the following report language be included:
“In the interest of promoting a lasting and durable peace in the South
Caucasus, the Nagorno Karabakh Republic must be reinstated into the
OSCE Minsk Group peace process as a full negotiating partner.”

Thank you for your leadership on the Appropriations Subcommittee on
State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. We are grateful for
your role in strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and
Armenia, supporting aid to Nagorno Karabakh, and on all the issues
we have raised.

We appreciate your consideration of these requests.

Sincerely,

Members of Congress

FRANK PALLONE, JR.

MICHAEL GRIMM JACKIE SPEIER JOHN F. TIERNEY LORETTA SANCHEZ JIM COSTA
AMES R. LANGEVIN BARBARA LEE GARY PETERS KATHERINE CLARK JARED POLIS
LINDA SANCHEZ JUDY CHU RUSH HOLT DAN LIPINSKI COLLIN PETERSON GRACE
F. NAPOLITANO ANNA G. ESHOO TIM BISHOP DAVID CICILLINE BRAD SHERMAN
JAMES P. MCGOVERN CAROLYN MALONEY BRUCE BRALEY CHAKA FATTAH STEPHEN
F. LYNCH JAN SCHAKOWSKY DINA TITUS

From: Baghdasarian