CONGRESS CELEBRATES KARABAKH FREEDOM
Thursday, March 14th, 2013
Representatives Ed Royce (right) and Adam Schiff flank Karabakh
culture minister Narine Aghabalyan
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce Headlines
Congressional Tribute to 25 Years of Liberty
WASHINGTON-The Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee,
Ed Royce (R-CA), joined with fellow members of the Congressional
Armenian Caucus and the visiting Minister of Youth and Culture from
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, Narine Aghabalyan, in a bipartisan
Capitol Hill celebration today marking the 25th anniversary of the
Artsakh democracy and freedom movement.
“Nagorno Karabakh is all about freedom. Freedom was the inspiration
for the Nagorno Karabakh democracy movement back in 1988. Freedom has
been the cornerstone of this proud Republic’s remarkable growth over
the past quarter century. And, today, twenty-five years later, freedom
remains the key to finding a peaceful and democratic way to finally
bring an end to Azerbaijan’s aggression,” said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian. “We would like to thank Minister Aghabalyan for joining
with us today, and to all our Congressional friends, from both sides of
the aisle – including, of course, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman
Ed Royce and our new Republican Co-Chairman of the Armenian Caucus,
Michael Grimm – for celebrating the awesome power of freedom, for
America, for Artsakh, and for all the peoples of the world.”
Karabakh Youth and Culture Minister Narine Aghabalyan speaks with
Congressional Armenian Caucus CoChair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and NKR
Representative in the U.S. Robert Avetisyan.
The event, hosted by the Congressional Armenian Caucus in the historic
Cannon Building, featured a keynote address by Minister Aghabalyan,
remarks by Chairman Royce, comments by the two Co-Chairman of the
Armenian Caucus, Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Michael Grimm (R-NY), a
moving speech by Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA), and messages by
Congresswomen Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Jackie Speier (D-CA). Congressman
David Cicilline (D-RI) welcomed Minister Aghabalyan to the event,
and participated in the evening’s celebration. Staff representing
over two dozen Congressional offices also participated.
In her remarks, Minister Aghabalyan explained that: “The Nagorno
Karabakh Republic is a legal state, which was created through the
free expression of the democratic will of the people of Karabakh, and
it is, in fact, the non-recognition of this state that contradicts
international laws and norms. Our unrecognized status prevents the
full realization of the rights of the people who live in Artsakh. It
is appropriate to cite the words of the third President of the United
States, an outstanding public figure, Thomas Jefferson: ‘Everything
is changeable in the world except the natural rights of people.'”
Rep. Grimm, the newly announced Republican Co-Chairman of the Armenian
Caucus, reflected on the growing international support for Karabakh’s
independence. “If history has furnished any conclusion, it’s that
Nagorno Karabakh’s assertion of independence is hardly a fleeting or
temporary desire, it’s actually an ancient and salient aspiration that
must be part of any permanent resolution if the avoidance of future
conflict is going to be a serious goal,” explained Rep. Grimm. “And
I believe that realization is gaining increasing traction in the
international community for it is the only realistic solution to
resolve the dangerous status quo of Azerbaijani and Armenian border
guards locked in a stand-off with that fragile 1994 ceasefire square
in their cross-hairs.”
Rep. Pallone concurred, noting that “There are those on the other side
that keep insisting that somehow the principle of self-determination
should not be supreme – and it should always be. . . Karabakh is an
independent republic, it should be recognized as such. Any ultimate
negotiation through the OSCE Minsk Group or through any other means
has to provide for the right to self-determination of the people of
Artsakh, either to remain as an independent country or to join with
the Republic of Armenia, if that’s how they see fit.”
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian with incoming Congressional
Armenian Caucus Republican CoChair Michael Grimm (R-NY).
Chairman Royce and Representative Schiff both reminded attendees about
Azerbaijan’s pardon, praise, promotion of convicted axe-murderer
Ramil Safarov, who killed Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan in his
sleep during a NATO Partnership for Peace English-language training
program in Hungary.
“It’s been entirely too long, and too many people have died since
Nagorno Karabakh voted for independence,” said Chairman Royce. “We
believe it is time for peace. We believe it is time for the angry
rhetoric to cease.” Condemning the Safarov scandal, Chairman Royce
noted, “You can only have peace when you have sincerity of intent
on both sides. And what we are asking is that there be a reflection
on the actions that Azerbaijan took to elevate, and commemorate and
celebrate the murder of another human being by an axe-murderer.”
“Safarov’s rapturous welcome in Baku is testament to the degree of
anti-Armenian hatred that is being incited in contemporary Azerbaijan.
That a man, who nearly decapitated a comrade, in his sleep, could
be treated as a national hero is so inexplicable and appalling, it
vindicates the concern of many Armenians that the forced imposition of
Azeri sovereignty over the free people of Artsakh would result in a
blood bath,” stated Rep. Schiff, who went on to call for the zeroing
out of all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan. “By cutting off
military aid to Azerbaijan, the U.S. can signal its disgust with the
Safarov affair but also remind Aliyev that the U.S. will not tolerate
any acts of aggression against Armenia or Artsakh.”
In her address, Rep. Eshoo stressed that: “This milestone for the
people of Nagorno Karabakh holds particular meaning for me as an
Armenian American. Nagorno Karabakh has faced much difficulty in its
history, but its continued push for growth and democracy demonstrates
the determination of its people to progress beyond intolerance
and violence.” Rep. Speier’s message underscored Nagorno Karabakh’s
progress, noting that: “the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh have fought
back against attacks on their institutions, their livelihoods, and
their very right to exist, and against all odds they have succeeded in
creating a democratic society with a vibrant culture and an enduring
respect for the pursuit of peace and justice.”
Armenia’s Ambassador to the U.S., Tatoul Markarian and the
Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in Washington, DC,
Robert Avetisyan both offered policy-driven remarks on the part of
their government. ANCA Executive Director shared the Armenian American
community’s enduring support for Artsakh’s national and democratic
aspirations, as manifested through a broad array of federal and
state-level advocacy initiatives undertaken by the community to
support and sustain the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
Ambassador Markarian, in his speech, said that: “By revising reality
and cultivating anti-Armenian hatred, Azerbaijan is seeking to
prepare the moral ground, both domestically and internationally, for
restarting the war against Nagorno Karabakh.” He went on to explain
that, “Azerbaijan is just buying time for preparing a new war, which
underscores the urgency of the recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh’s
independence by the international community.”
The standing-room-only event was well attended by a diverse array,
representing a broad range of Washington, DC foreign policy community,
as well as by Armenian American leaders and activists from throughout
the national capital area and around the nation.
In the days leading up to this Capitol Hill program, Members of
Congress went on record marking the 25th anniversary of Nagorno
Karabakh freedom, among them representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ),
James Costa (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Michael Grimm (R-CA), Devin Nunes
(R-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA).
Minister Aghabalyan, a journalist by trade, represents an energetic
new generation of leaders who are charting a bright future for the
independent Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. As a senior government
official, she has played a pivotal role in the revitalization of
Shushi as a cultural center, and the new location for the Youth
and Culture Ministry. Her practical focus on the development of
literature, theater, and other areas for the arts has helped spark a
renewed interest in public-private partnerships, and her Ministry’s
job-placement efforts are finding meaningful work for young citizens
of the Republic.
ANCA Legislative Affairs Director, Raffi Karakashian, is set to testify
on March 14th before the U.S. House panel responsible for foreign aid,
in support of increased direct U.S. assistance to Nagorno Karabakh
and other Armenian American priorities in the Fiscal Year 2014 foreign
aid bill.
The ANCA has, in recent days, distributed a “Who is Ilham Aliyev”
one-pager to legislative offices, outlining the Azerbaijani President’s
well-documented record of intolerance, violence, and corruption.
A thirty-second ANCA video was released this week, titled “Americans
to Aliyev: Violence is not a U.S. Value,” juxtaposing Azerbaijani
Parliamentarian Samad Seyidov’s claims of that country’s commitment to
“tolerance, secularism, fighting against fundamentalism, democracy…”
with images of brutal Azerbaijani police crackdowns against dissenters.
In an attempt to export Baku-style repression to Washington,
DC, a handful of pro-Aliyev protesters outside the event sought
unsuccessfully to discourage participation in the Artsakh freedom
celebration.
http://asbarez.com/108786/congress-celebrates-karabakh-freedom/