Author: Kanayan Tamar

CHAIRMAN OF ARMENIAN CONSUMERS’ ASSOCIATION OPPOSES CANCELLATION OF YELLOW NUMBER PLATES ON TAXIS

YEREVAN, March 15. /ARKA/. Armen Poghosyan, chairman of the Armenian
Consumers’ Association, speaking Friday at a news conference, voiced
opposition to the traffic police’s proposal to replace yellow number
plates on taxis with special certificates.

This proposal was backed by the government-affiliated center
for coordination of laws, but Poghosyan said he finds this idea
illogical and unacceptable, since yellow number plates serve as
excellent evidence of one or another taxi service’s legality, while
the certificate that is proposed to be fastened on the back window
of the car is not clearly visible.

He also finds everyday technical fitness and medical examinations
unfeasible, but thinks regular examinations, at least twice a month,
are necessary.

The bill also implies tougher penalties for providing transportation
services without a license – wrongdoers must be fined AMD 20,000 to
AMD 50,000.

Gevorg Dosturyan, head of the Civil Position nongovernmental
organization, speaking at the same news conference, said that
replacement of yellow number plates with certificates will leave room
for forging the certificates easily.

“The traffic police department has not solved the problem of illegal
taxis yet, but it is already coming up with a new initiative,
which will create larger room for illegal passenger transportation
businesses,” he said.

According to the Armenian Consumers’ Association, there are 15,000
taxis in Armenia, the nulk of which work in Yerevan. Of them, 30%
have no licenses.

There are some 9,000 licensed taxis in Armenia now. Of them, 7,000
belong to 500 taxi services.

The bill will be considered by the government within the next few
weeks and if approved, it will be sent to the National Assembly. The
changes will come into effect six months after they are passed in
the parliament. -0-

AHOT MANUCHARYAN: CURRENT DYNAMICS PROMISES PROSPECTS

16:16 15/03/2013
Story from Lragir.am News:

Commenting on domestic developments, Ashot Manucharyan, member of
Karabakh Committee, said Raffi Hovannisian again woke people up.

According to him, people are so hopeless and desperate that they leave
the country because they find no meaning and prospect to stay. Raffi
Hovannisian had a great role in this important turn.

The positive aspect is that Raffi Hovannisian is not the leader, Ashot
Manucharyan says, adding that 2008 somehow repeats. At that time a
lot of people supported Levon Ter-Petrosyan but his steps led even
his ideological opponents to think about improving the country. He
says dynamics is good no matter what will happen next and promises
prospects.

According to him, there is interest in the continuity of tension
because there are two main actors, one of the actors has presented
their requirements to the government and the government agreed to
meet them, the other side is trying to set obstacles to prevent the
government from meeting those requirements.

According to him, deep inside Armenia has said yes to the West but
in reality the West could not lose its achievements here and now,
with the agreement with the West in place, the government has entered
into negotiations with Russia and agreed to all its proposals.

He also said that we must focus on creating our world.

Ashot Manucharyan says this awakening does not depend on the decision,
action, milestones of one person. He noted that the United States
is interested in staging institutional opposition. For example,
the municipal election of Yerevan may transform to an election to
the revolutionary committee.

He noted that there is one problem now – we cannot understand what
we want, we want sad things that the world has told us, such as
constitutional order, rule of law, fair elections. All these things
are in place in the EU which is in crisis and are absent in China
which is developing effectively.

“Whatever is happening in Armenia in the political sphere is a process
of redistribution of economic levers. The civic sphere rejects such
a policy because it wants to bring into being something else, real
politik. The civil society wants a real political process which is
maturing in Armenia. Armenia is in a better situation compared with
the United States,” Ashot Manucharyan said.

“KHOJALU” HASN’T GOT ITS LEGAL ASSESSMENT YET

Thursday, 14 March 2013 15:02

Chairman of the NKR NA Standing Committee on Foreign Relations
Vahram ATANESIAN is answering our questions: – Mr. Atanesian,
I would like to draw your attention to the article of Director of the
Moscow Institute for Political and Social Research in the Black Sea
and Caspian Region Vladimir Zakharov, in which the author expressed
concern about the fact that the Armenian party did not work on a
proper level with other states to give an impartial assessment of
the Khojalu events.

At the same time, the Russian political scientist recalled the document
adopted by the Czech Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee, which
qualified the Khojalu events as genocide.

We know that the Czech Republic is one of the states, which
immediately responded to the extradition of Azeri murderer Ramil
Safarov, condemning the Azerbaijani-Hungarian deal.

– The document adopted by the Czech Parliament’s Foreign
Relations Committee, which was signed by the Committee Chairman,
didn’t contain the word “genocide”. Apparently, it is the Azerbaijani
interpretation, since the document noted that “tragic events took
place there, leading to human deaths”. The events were evaluated as
the most massive killings of civilians during the Karabakh war. As for
the fact that this country responded to Safarov’s extradition and then
to the events in Khojalu, this happened due to the consistent work
of the Azerbaijani party. Let’s admit the truth. It is known that
Azerbaijan uses great efforts and amounts for presenting Khojalu
as a military crime committed by the Armenian party. Azerbaijan
is conducting everyday and quite successive propaganda works on the
Khojalu issue: the initiative “Justice to Khojalu” is sponsored by the
Heydar Aliev Foundation, the chairwoman of which is Mehriban Alieva and
the vice-chairwoman is Aliev’s daughter Leyla. The latter spends a lot
of time abroad, introducing herself as the author of the initiative.

Naturally, when a similar action is implemented on the presidential
family level, the foreign diplomatic, expert, and information circles
are more susceptible towards this person. Perhaps, truth doesn’t play
such a great role in politics as lobbying. The statement of the Czech
Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee should be considered as a
manifestation of this lobbying.

– Unfortunately, we can’t say the same about the Armenian
party. What do you think of this?

– I’d like to be frank and use non-diplomatic formulations. Our
approach to this issue isn’t regulated at all: any political, military
or public figure says what he thinks. Recently, one of the Azerbaijani
mass media has re-published an article by Levon Melik-Shakhnazaryan,
in which he described Khojalu as the greatest victory of the Armenian
weapon. Some formulations of the article profited the Azerbaijani
party, which, referring to them, stated: look what is written about
Khojalu by the Armenian political figure who chaired the NKR Supreme
Soviet’s Foreign Relations Standing Committee in 1992. The Azerbaijani
party has repeatedly referred to the co-published book of Margar and
Seda Melkonians, which is dedicated to the memory of Monte Melkonian
and which contains regrettable mistakes. The book author is a person
who has never been to the NKR and who didn’t see what had happened
in Khojalu. Moreover, Margar didn’t meet his brother after Khojalu.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t prevent the conditions, which didn’t
correspond to the reality and which were disputable. We should also
note that during the military activities and the following days the
political and military authorities of Karabakh missed the control
over any journalist visiting Khojalu. And the Azerbaijani party has
recently published photos by St. Petersburg journalist Victoria Ivleva,
which were alleged made on February 27, 1992, in Khojalu. The Armenian
party didn’t respond, while it could, at least, apply to the woman
for denial. It isn’t excluded that the material is fabricated.

The Azerbaijanis usually use the photos related to the mass massacres
in Kosovo or Zagreb (the capital of Croatia), presenting them as
the events in Khojalu. A website on Khojalu in Armenian, Russian,
and Azerbaijani is created in the RA, which is an abundant source
of documents, photos, and even videos, but the propaganda activity
cannot be generally considered satisfactory.

– The Khojalu-related facts, testimonies of witnesses and all
other materials need to be analyzed, which, let’s admit, is almost
out of any attention.

– Today, we have the goal of giving a legal assessment to the
Khojalu events. Huge legal vacuum exists here, and the corresponding
bodies do not work properly. I know some materials that are put into
circulation by so-called head of the executive power of Khojalu Elman
Mamedov who is currently a member of the Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis
and is always involved in international business. But, no one from
the Armenian side provides any material to the countries where this
political figure has meetings. Mamedov reported to the parliamentary
commission, researching the Khojalu events, that together with a few
other people, he had been fighting 8 or 9 hours against the Armenian
soldiers, who had surrounded them, in a gulch, 2 or 3 kilometers
from Aghdam.

According to him, he reached Aghdam on February 26, late in the
evening. No one says the following: if fighting 8 hours against the
Armenian fighters, 2 or 3 kilometers from Aghdam, is a real case,
so the shots had to be heard in Aghdam. Corresponding support had
to be provided to them from Aghdam. So, his report is false. And
giving testimonies to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor’s Office, Elman
Mamedov didn’t note this fact. If he noted this, a criminal case had
to be filed then. Mamedov spread around the world that he had lost 30
relatives during the Khojalu events. The matter is that the 30 people
didn’t include his parents, wife, child, sister or brother. So, who
were they? The Azerbaijani party says that it wasn’t informed about
the humanitarian corridor. In that case, why did they leave Khojalu
through the Karkar watercourse, instead of the Khojalu-Askeran highway,
which was open? Especially that Khojalu wasn’t fired from Askeran. Or,
who took the people to the forests? There are numerous questions. Let’s
recall another information, which was recorded by the Azerbaijani
National Security Ministry. On February 16, two citizens of Khojalu,
Orujev and Musaev, reached Aghdam from Khojalu. On February 18,
the group returned, and 3 people joined it. The group brought 3000
bullets to Khojalu from Aghdam. On February 11, the Ministry of
National Security submitted a document to the Azerbaijani Security
Council, which clearly stated that there were two ways for Khojalu
population’s evacuation – the gas line to Kyatuk and the Garagaya
site near Shelli, where they would be met by the forces, which would
come from Aghdam. The largest mass murder site was Garagaya. If
the massacres were committed by the Armenian party, so the way
for evacuation was provided to the Armenian self-defense forces by
the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry. Do you imagine such a
thing? And was the Armenian party really able to bring a punitive
detachment to Shelly, which is in half a kilometer from Aghdam? So,
we can bring thousands contradictions of the kind, which is given
in the propaganda materials of the Azerbaijani party. And to this
end, expertise works are needed. I’m talking about open sources
of information, but there are also close sources, which we do not
possess. And we should submit corresponding requirements to the
parliaments, which make similar statements. Finally, 181human bodies
were subjected to forensic medical examination in Aghdam, while the
Azerbaijani party stated over 600 victims.

– Doesn’t the position of some US states regarding the Khojalu
events give reason for thinking? And if even our foreign friends are
expressing their concern, it means that the Armenian party has much
to do.

– I think there is a problem of psychological ban, which is felt
even in places. If an attempt is made to take a step in line with the
international situation or to express any point of view, it does not
receive corresponding understanding. Today, the Azerbaijani party is
using the Jewish lobbying in a very gentle way. For example, it made
the Ghuba events a subject of discussions. The Stepan Shahumyan-led
troops of the communist regime realized a pursuit there, leading to
civilian casualties, and this was presented as an organized pogrom
against the highland Jews by Armenians. We know that the Jews are
very sensitive towards the events related to them. And we cannot
make a statement to join those who remember all the victims of any
Genocide in order that one can say tomorrow that paying tribute to the
memory of the Sumgait victims, the NKR remembers also about those of
the Holocaust. We should work with the Jews, as the abilities of the
Jewish lobbying are known all over the world. Let’s refer to Khojalu:
recently, the Azerbaijanis have placed a petition, signed by 100 000
people, at the official site of the White House. According to the
USA Constitution, if such a number of people apply to the American
Government, the latter must respond to it. And the Azerbaijanis
placed the issue of the “Khojalu Genocide”. Though they got a very
tough answer, but it is today’s picture. What it will be tomorrow? We
should also remember that the Azeris are greatly supported by Turkey
using all the channels. And what can we say about the fact that 7
states of the USA have issued different statements on the Khojalu
events? And if the Czech Parliament’s Foreign Relations Committee
has issued a statement, we shouldn’t start working with this state
after this. We should conduct coordinated work with all the states,
putting a package of documents into circulation. All the states have
their websites, at which we should place our materials; to this end,
we should unite the efforts of the diplomacy, the Armenian Diaspora’s
structures, and the NKR Permanent Representations.

– The Khojalu issue seems to get greater publicity with
years. What is it conditioned by?

– The Azerbaijani party has made the issue especially acute
for the recent years. The version I’m going to put forward may seem
too bold, but I’m convinced of this. An attempt is made to insure
the Azerbaijani authorities from further discoveries. Our goal is to
achieve the legal assessment; if needed, the parties should create
a corresponding commission, which will disclose the documents of the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. In particular, military activities on
attacking Askeran and lifting the blockade of Khojalu were planned
for February 25, 2:30 pm. But, no commander appeared at the Aghdam
conscript station this time. Why didn’t the military activities take
place? Artillery commander of the Aghdam troops Colonel Nechiporenko
stated to the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s investigator that he had
realized the command of F. Hajiev, launching 2 full charges of ”Grad”
device, i.e. 80 missiles in the direction of Khojalu to destroy the
airport. And, according to them, the greatest panic occurred after the
airport-adjacent houses were burnt. Putting similar facts together,
we can firmly imagine the events. The truth is that everybody in
Azerbaijan was waiting for Mutalibov’s resignation. For assessing
the then political situation in Azerbaijan, it is enough to recall
the ultimatum of the Popular Front addressed to Ayaz Mutalibov and
published on February 18, 1992 in Azadlygh newspaper. ”…If you
don’t resign voluntarily, so the Popular Front of Azerbaijan will
not be able to escape bloodshed”.

Õ~YRuzan ISHKHANIAN

NGOS DEMAND TENT FOR HUNGER-STRIKING HOVANNISIAN

VOTE 2013 | 15.03.13 | 12:58

A number of nongovernmental organizations have circulated an appeal
to Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan to stop his subordinates from
obstructing the installation of a tent for a hunger-striking former
presidential candidate in Yerevan.

Raffi Hovannisian, the leader of the Heritage Party who is disputing
the election victory of President Serzh Sargsyan, has been stationed
around a bench in Liberty Square in the Armenian capital on a 24/7
basis since Sunday. In what the Ombudsman’s Office said constituted a
violation of human rights, law-enforcement authorities have prohibited
Hovannisian’s supporters from putting up a tent in the square. The
latest attempt by opposition members and civil activists to have
the facility installed on Thursday resulted in a scuffle between
protesters and police officers.

Two dozen NGOs, including Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor, the
Journalists’ Club “Asparez”, Transparency International Anti-corruption
Center, the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, the Women’s Resource
Center, Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech, and others,
have issued a statement today calling on Chief of Police Gasparyan
to immediately terminate the “illegal actions” of his subordinates
and call to account those who have been carrying them out, as well
as ensure the installation of the tent for Hovannisian.

“We think that such a working style of the police only aggravates
the situation and puts the police in a position of bearing full
responsibility for possible undesirable consequences in the future,”
the NGOs emphasized.

WE WILL SHOW OUR PROVINCIAL TASTE, A MOVIE CRITIC SAYS ABOUT TAKING “GAREGIN NZHDEH” TO CANNES

March 14 2013

The National Cinema Center of Armenia will present Hrach Keshishyan’s
“Garegin Nzhdeh” in Cannes, along with other movies. Armenia will
also participate in this year’s Cannes Film Festival that will take
place on May 15-26 and in the Film Market that will be organized
within its framework. inquired of Artsvi Bakhchinyan,
a movie critic and the Vice-President of the Armenian Association
of Movie Critics and Movie Journalists, what he thought of the fact
that Armenia would also present “Garegin Nzhdeh,” which even Armenians
didn’t think highly of, despite its big budget, in Cannes. “When they
show ‘Garegin Nzgdeh’ in Syunik, for example, lay a red carpet and show
a crying Nzhdeh to the people and make them cry as a result of such
cheap effects, you think, ‘It’s OK, we are provincials, we show our
provincial taste and mentality in the provinces.’ However, appearing
at no less than the Cannes Film Festival with such a picture means
to overestimate one’s own abilities too much. It is just shameful. It
doesn’t matter that its budget is $7 million. Work has been done, but
a move that is, to put it mildly, a disgrace from the artistic and
historical perspectives cannot be the face of the Armenian movie,”
Bakhchinyan said. Our interlocutor will not be surprised, if that
movie gets some local award in the short run and says: “It has
happened in the territory of Armenia, now they have to exaggerate,
praise, a few intellectuals and art critics have to express a high
opinion to curry favor with the rich men who financed the movie,
but the value of the movie will not increase because of that. I think
that one just has to be smart enough not to show oneself to the world
through such pictures. Even the ordinary Armenian viewer who doesn’t
know the criteria of great movies was basically not satisfied with
that movie. Many tearstained eyes testify to that, but many sleeping
viewers in the hall don’t. Chulpan Khamatova’s name alone is not a
guarantee that this movie has a right to be shown at an international
festival. By the way, under the Armenian conditions, in case of a
professional approach, one could have achieved satisfactory results
for the money that has been spent on ‘Garegin Nzhdeh’ to shoot such a
movie, and it would have allowed us to show ourselves to the world with
a clear conscience. And what we have is just awful.” Gohar HAKOBYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

GERMANY IS ONE OF LARGEST INVESTORS IN ARMENIA’S ECONOMY : MFA

YEREVAN, March 15. /ARKA/. Germany is one of the largest investors in
Armenian economy, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian told his German
counterpart Guido Westerwelle in Berlin yesterday.

According to Mr Nalbandian, Germany supports the implementation
process of the programs targeted at the republic’s development.The
National Statistical Service of Armenia states Germany invested $36.6
million in the real sector of Armenia over the nine months last year,
an increase by 92.4% (1.9 times) from the same period in 2011.

Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported Mr Nalbandian
highlighted the Armenian-German relations had been developing steadily
since the independence of Armenia, and they had got a new impetus
over the past years.

The minister expressed his confidence that the sides will succeed in
deepening the bilateral ties through joint efforts.

“The Armenian peacekeepers fulfill their mission in Afghanistan jointly
with the German contingent, and the cooperation in this format proved
its efficiency,” he noted.

Mr Westerwelle, on his side, said he was pleased with the high level
of the bilateral political dialogue and noted Germany is interested
in deepening cooperation.

The sides confirmed the cooperation is progressing in multilateral
formats, interparliamentary ties and business contacts are broadly
expanding.

The officials also discussed the perspectives for implementing some
joint cultural programs, and issues related to security and stability
in the South Caucasus as well as the recent developments around Iran’s
nuclear program.

Mr Nalbandian also reported to his German counterpart on the
negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

The ministers agreed to continue meetings within the frames of visit
and multilateral forums.

Nalbandian headed to Athens following his visit to Germany. -0-

HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK: BUSINESSMEN PAWN REAL ESTATE, TAKE MONEY OUT OF THE COUNTRY

TERT.AM
09:32 ~U 15.03.13

The paper says interesting developments are taking place in the
country’s financial market. Citing its sources close to banks, the
paper says money flow from Armenia has started affecting banks.

The paper says cases when businessmen are pawning real estate and
transferring the received money outside of Armenia. The paper says
the tendency of Armenia’s dram’s noticeable devaluation recently is
agreed with the reduction of currency volume in the country.

The paper says the reason of such behavior of businessmen is
incomprehensible. As to the dram exchange, yesterday $1 cost 414 drams
in the stock exchange which is a bit less from the day before. Judging
from the volume of deals [more than 6 million US dollars] it may be
claimed that dram’s devaluation has again been prevented by Armenia’s
Central Bank’s currency intervention.

Last week the CB has filled the market with more than $21 million
cash not to allow dram’s collapse.

JULIO IGLESIAS CONCERT TO BE FULL OF SURPRISES FOR ARMENIAN AUDIENCE

10:05, 15 March, 2013

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. The program for the Yerevan concert of
prominent Spanish singer Julio Iglesias has already been made public.

All the most favored songs by Iglesias will sound during the March
18 concert. The organizers of the concert told “Armenpress” that the
Armenian audience will have an opportunity to enjoy “Intro”, “Amor
Amor”, “La gota fria”, “Natalie”, “Galicia”, “A media luz”, “Echame
a mi la culpa”, “My sweet lord”, “Mammy blue”, “Me siento de aqui”,
“Carusso”, “Ne me quites pas”, “Careless whisper”, “Cumparista”,
“All of You”, “Always on my mind”, “I want to know”, “Let it be me”
and a number of other outstanding performances.

Among other things the organizers noted: “Besides, Julio Iglesias may
perform an Armenian song or a part from an Armenian song during his
concert, as far as the outstanding singer is fond of performing songs
in the language of the country, where he is giving concerts. That
will be the singer’s surprise.”

Julio Iglesias will pay a two-day visit to Armenia on March 17 by his
own aircraft. He will be accompanied with a large “suite” of 30-35
artists including musicians, back-vocal singers, and dancers. The
concert will be held in Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex,
Yerevan, on March 18.

LE PRESIDENT DU CLUB D’AFFAIRES ARMENO-FRANCAIS FAVORABLE A L’ARRIVEE DE CARREFOUR EN ARMENIE

Armand Pinarbasi, president du Club d’affaires armeno-francais Armenie,
a envoye une lettre ouverte au Premier ministre Tigran Sarkissian
exprimant l’espoir que le gouvernement armenien soutiendra l’intention
de Carrefour de s’etablir en Armenie.

Armand Pinarbasi a declare dans son message que l’arrivee de Carrefour
en Armenie contribuera beaucoup au developpement de l’economie en
termes de creation de nouveaux emplois et d’amelioration des services.

C’est pourquoi, a-t-il dit, le Club d’affaires armeno-francais attache
une grande importance a la mise en ~uvre de ce vaste programme
d’investissement en Armenie.

Le Club a ete cree en 2011 a l’initiative de l’Ambassadeur francais en
Armenie Henry Renault. Les membres du club sont de grandes entreprises
francaises implantees en Armenie et des societes armeniennes qui font
des affaires en France.

En Decembre 2012, Carrefour Armenie est devenue membre du club.

Plus tôt, le journal Jamanak (Temps), a rapporte que Samvel Karapetyan,
proprietaire de Garden Mall Dalma, a suspendu son contrat avec
Carrefour.

Selon le journal, la decision a ete motivee par la forte opposition
de Samvel Alexanyan, un entrepreneur armenien qui importe des produits
essentiels dans le pays et dont l’activite de Carrefour pourrait nuire.

vendredi 15 mars 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

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.