Author: Tambiyan Samvel

Armenian
National Committee of Canada

Comité
national arménien du Canada

Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622

E-mail/Courriel:[email protected]

-PRESS RELEASE-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 3, 2020                                                                   

Contact: Sevag Belian (613) 235-2622

ANCC Demands Retraction of Tweet Made by Canadian Embassy
on Artsakh Elections and for the Ambassador to be Recalled.

(OTTAWA) – Earlier
today, the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) sent a letter to Canada’s
Foreign Affairs Minister, the Hon. François-Phillipe Champagne, urging the
minister to demand the retraction of a reckless tweet made by the Canadian
Embassy in Ankara regarding the recent General Election that took place in the
Republic of Artsakh. Furthermore, the ANCC demanded for the ambassador to be
recalled “for his irresponsibility and his inability to defend and uphold
Ottawa’s official foreign policy objectives of peace and balanced diplomacy”

In a tweet
published on Wednesday, April 1st, the Canadian embassy independently made a statement
voicing Canada’s support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and not recognizing
the fair and free elections held in Artsakh. The tweet was not shared nor
endorsed by Global Affairs Canada.

“Canada has
always maintained a balanced approach towards the peaceful settlement of the Artsakh
(Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict through its support of the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group initiative that is
based on the core principles outlined in the Helsinki Final Act.” read a part
of the letter.

“This tweet does
not reflect Canada’s balanced position on the issue and it must be retracted immediately”
said Hrag Tarakdjian and Shahen Mirakian, co-presidents of the ANCC, commenting
on the issue.

In the letter, the
ANCC co-presidents added “Such statements not only fuel anger and concern
within Canadians but have the potential of exposing shortcomings within our
foreign service, something we cannot allow to happen. Global Affairs Canada
simply cannot allow its diplomats abroad to interpret the government’s position
as they see fit.”

“The principle
of self-determination, enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act, must be
unconditionally upheld in any conflict settlement. These fair and free
elections, that witnessed over 72% turnout, were a powerful and remarkable
testament to that principle of utmost importance. Failing to realize this is
what will impede a constructive peace process and jeopardize the safety and
security of the people of Artsakh. Self-determination and democratically
elected representatives are the only guarantees to preserve Artsakh’s security
and prevent a genocidal campaign.” mentioned the letter, on which the Prime
Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, all party leaders and their foreign
affairs critics were copied on.

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******

The ANCC is the largest and
the most influential Armenian-Canadian grassroots human rights organization.
Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters
throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC
actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-Canadian community on a broad
range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout Canada
and the world.

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Sources: https://www.primeminister.am/en/press-release/, https://www.president.am, https://armenpress.am, https://news.am/eng/, https://www.azatutyun.am/en, https://panorama.am, https://tass.com/, https://arminfo.info/.