Category: 2017

BAKU, Azerbaijan (RFE/RL) – On September 22, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called a recent visit to the Artsakh Republic by three US lawmakers a “provocation” and said it had blacklisted them, Russian news agency Interfax reported.

Earlier in the week, Azerbaijan’s state-run APA news agency said the ministry had threatened to blacklist the three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. During their visit to Armenia, Frank Pallone, David Valadao, and Tulsi Gabbard all made a side trip to Artsakh and met with various officials.

“Pallone, Valadao, and Gabbard paid an illegal visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories, thus breaching Azerbaijani law,” Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev told Interfax. “All three are added to the list of undesirable persons in Azerbaijan.”

The legislators’ visit was “a provocation aimed at undermining efforts of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, including the United States, in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he told Interfax.

While in Artsakh, the U.S. legislators, who are members of the U.S. Congressional Armenian Caucus, met with Nagorno-Karabakh legislators and visited the Shushi Arts College and a cathedral.

Pallone said the legislators’ goal was to learn and educate the American public about the region.

“We try to learn about the military situation on the border and what measures are being taken to eliminate the consequences of the April war,” Artsakh Press quoted Pallone as saying. He was referring to a sharp uptick in violence in the region that occurred in April.

“One of the goals of our work is to contribute to the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group, and we believe that the people of Artsakh should have the right to self-determination and have security mechanisms,” Artsakh Press quoted Pallone as saying.

Representatives Gabbard and Pallone traveled to Artsakh on September 20, while Rep. Valadao was in Artsakh a few days prior. During his visit, Rep. Valadao reviewed the  life-saving HALO Trust de-mining programs that he helped fund as a leading member of the House Appropriations Committee.

STEPANAKERT, Artsakh Republic – On September 25, Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakian met with philanthropist Alec Baghdasaryan, according to the Press Service of the President.

During the meeting, the two discussed issues related to the implementation of various programs in Artsakh.

The President also expressed gratitude to the philanthropist for his continuous assistance to Artsakh and his active participation in the development of our country.

WASHINGTON – Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu recently visited two Turkish American men charged with the infamous May 16 attack in Washington, D.C. and showed his solidarity.

Cavusoglu visited the two men during his trip to the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

He tweeted that he visited Sinan Narin and Eyup Yildirim late Saturday and said he passed on “our nation’s love and greetings.” The men were photographed in orange jumpsuits with the minister.

The two defendants are among 19 suspects accused of attacking protestors outside the Turkish ambassador’s Washington home in May during a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which left at least nine peaceful protesters injured.

Narin and Yildirim were arrested in June and charged with multiple counts of assault. The indictment also accused 15 bodyguards, including the head of Erdogan’s security detail.

Yildirim, an owner of a construction company in New Jersey, was a very visible participant in the brawl. He was seen yelling at the protesters prior to the attacks. During the attacks, he was seen on video rushing towards a female protester who had been pushed to the ground during the blitz. Yildirim then kicked the woman, Lucy Usoyan, multiple times while she laid curled up on the ground.

Narin, a 45 year old Virginia resident, who was another active participant, also kicked Usoyan when she was on the ground.

Yildirim and Narin were arrested on June 14 by U.S. Marshals. The next day, Washington, D.C. Metro police announced charges against Yildirim and Narin, along with 14 others involved in the attacks.

Narin was charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor assault or threatened assault in a menacing manner, while Yıldırım was charged with felony assault with significant bodily injury, felony aggravated assault, and misdemeanor assault or threatened assault in a menacing manner.

According to CNN Turk, Yildirim and Narin have been visited frequently by Turkish consular officials.

Two Turkish-Canadian men have also been charged, as have 15 security personnel who were protecting Erdogan.