Category: 2020

Releases Final 2020 Congressional Report Cards

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America on Tuesday announced its Congressional endorsements and shared final Congressional Report Cards rating each sitting U.S. Senator and Representative on a broad array of Armenian American policy priorities.

“The ANCA stands by those who stand with Artsakh and Armenia,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Our merit-based endorsements are earned through strong and steady support for Artsakh, robust U.S-Armenia relations, and justice for the Armenian Genocide – all core elements of our ANCA360 pro-Armenian advocacy agenda.”

Each ANCA endorsement is backed up by detailed Report Cards documenting the track-record of every incumbent Senator and Representative across a broad array of Armenian American issues – with a heavy focus on Artsakh’s security and the ongoing threats that Turkey and Azerbaijan present to the survival of the Armenian nation. This year’s Report Cards cover an unprecedented range of legislative, community, social media activities – including resolutions, letters, events, and public statements in support of the ANCA’s advocacy priorities.

ANCA Report Cards include a point by point overview of the Senator’s / Representative’s support on legislation, Congressional letters, and participation in Capitol Hill events advancing Armenian American priorities.  The overview also includes “Congressional Notes” and “Social Media Posts” spotlighting additional statements, social media posts, and community outreach efforts on issues of Armenian American concern.

ANCA Report Cards also include previous grades and links to previous Report Cards for each Senator and Representative, offering constituents the opportunity to review their progress on Armenian American concerns. A “Congressional Bio” link offers information about the elected official’s background, education, prior occupation, committees they serve on, and methods to contact their Senate/House offices.

ANCA Report Cards are prepared in close consultation with ANCA regional offices and local chapters across the country. The ANCA Eastern Region and ANCA Western Region are in the process of announcing state and local candidate endorsements.

ANCA Western Region announced its endorsements for federal, state and local elections last week.

Vice President Joe Biden issued an announcement on Wednesday calling on President Trump to “to stop the advance of Azerbaijani troops into Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“Following the collapse of the ceasefire announced by Secretary of State Pompeo on October 25, a large-scale humanitarian disaster is looming for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, who have already suffered too much and need to have their security protected. After a month of fighting, it is long past time for President Trump to directly engage the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey to push for immediate de-escalation and stop the advance of Azerbaijani troops into Nagorno-Karabakh,” Biden said on Wednesday.

He also called on the administration to enforce Section 907 bans on aid to Azerbaijan and the flow of military equipment into Azerbaijan.

“While he brags about his deal-making skills at campaign rallies, Trump has yet to get involved personally to stop this war. The administration must fully implement and not waive requirements under section 907 of the Freedom Support Act to stop the flow of military equipment to Azerbaijan, and call on Turkey and Russia to stop fueling the conflict with the supply of weapons and, in the case of Turkey, mercenaries,” said Biden.

“The United States should be leading a diplomatic effort to end the fighting, together with our European partners, and push for international humanitarian assistance to end the suffering; under my administration that is exactly what we will do,” pledged Biden.

This is Biden’s fourth announcement since Azerbaijani forces, backed by the Turkish military and Ankara-backed jihadists began attacking Artsakh on September 27.

After completing days-long military and expert marksmanship training, more Armenian Revolutionary Federation volunteers headed for the frontline this week.

The new volunteers were joined by the several dozen soldiers who were on the frontlines for three weeks but were in Yerevan for a few days, most of whom are members of the ARF Youth Organization of Armenia.

Since Azerbaijan began aggressively attacking Artsakh with the help of the Turkish military and Ankara-backed terrorists on September 27, the ARF has sent several groups of volunteers to the frontlines. The ARF Volunteer Reserver Brigade was established in 2017, and in conjunction with Armenia’s Defense Ministry trains volunteers for combat.

“I imagine since we have two neighbors who view us as enemies, this war will not cease, so we must always be ready to be soldiers of the homeland at any given time,” said Hayk Manoukyan a volunteer who left for the frontlines earlier this month. “If it’s not today, if it’s 10 years later—100 years later—we must always be ready to fight.”

The ARF volunteer units include new recruits, as well as those who fought valiantly during the Artsakh Liberation War in the 1990s.

“I was a member of the ARF battalion from 1990 to 1994,” said Ararat Igityan, who left for the frontlines a few weeks ago. “Artsakh is our ancestral home and it must stay that way.”

The ARF volunteers go through intensive training at the Byurakan campground. When one group heads to the frontlines, another group of volunteers begins training for the war.

According to the defense officials of Armenia and Artsakh, reportedly in some areas Azerbaijan is surrendering control of the battlefield to Turkey-backed terrorists that have been fighting alongside Azerbaijani forces.

The Artsakh Defense Ministry reported on Wednesday that the Azerbaijani forces are establishing bases for the terrorist groups to camp down to fight Artsakh defense forces.

“We have officially announced that. Yes, in some directions Azerbaijan seems to have surrendered the control of some areas to terrorist groups,” said Armenia’s Defense Ministry representative Artsrun Hovhannisyan, who warned regional countries of the potential threat to security.

“According to radio reconnaissance data and analyzing the tactics and phone conversations between Turkish-Azerbaijani mercenaries and terrorists, it has become obvious that during the recent days, as a result of the retreat in some directions of the Armenian units for tactical considerations, the Azerbaijani armed forces are diligently establishing bases for terrorist groups in those areas, the activities of which can further escalate and destabilize the situation not only near the borders of Armenia and Artsakh, but pose a serious threat to the entire region,” said a statement from the Artsakh Defense Ministry.

The Artsakh defense ministry urged the Azerbaijani armed forces to adhere to the humanitarian ceasefire agreements, “otherwise face imminent retaliation.”

“During the day the enemy continued firing at peaceful settlements of Artsakh. Particularly, the cities of Shushi and Stepanakert were bombed by Smerch multiple rocket launchers, severely damaging the maternity hospital of the capital, and civilian infrastructures of the two countries. One civilian has been killed, some others are injured,” explained the Artsakh Defense Minister.

Artsakh presidential spokesperson Vahram Poghosyan warned Wednesday that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan is continuing to carry out overt and deliberate war crimes, targeting Artsakh’s hospitals, schools, residential houses and other public objects from different weapons, killing or injuring civilians

“And the world with, its well-known media outlets, continues to silently record it, at best, regretting for the human losses,” said Poghosyan in a Facebook post.

“The international community should put an end to the futile actions aimed at stopping this war that has turned into a humanitarian disaster and take practical measures, otherwise, the crisis will further deepen into the region,” added Poghosyan.

“We once again urge the residents of the Azerbaijani settlements in whose houses Azerbaijani armed forces have positioned their military hardware, to leave and not to become a human shields against our retaliation to the war crimes of the Azerbaijani authorities,” said Poghosyan.

“Armenia calls for the immediate withdrawal of international terrorist organizations from the South Caucasus and resolutely rejects Turkey’s actions aimed at further destabilization of the region,” said a statement by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

“We strongly condemn the joint efforts of Turkey and Azerbaijan – terrorist supporting countries – to turn their countries into a hub of international terrorism and spread that plague throughout the region. In order to confront this threat, close cooperation among all parties interested in regional security is required,” added the foreign ministry.

“Armenia and Artsakh, unlike our two neighbors, do not host, but fight terrorists,” added the statement.

LOS ANGELES—On Monday, October 26, the Armenian Youth Federation Western United States began a hunger strike in-front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles to call attention to war crimes being committed against Armenians. The hunger strike will culminate in a community-wide march on Sunday from the Federal Building to the Azerbaijani Consulate.

The hunger strikers are demanding the United States to recognize the Independent Republic of Artsakh, hold sanctions against Turkey and Azerbaijan for their blatant aggression in the region and escalation of war.

The hunger strike comes on the heels of a war that has been going on for over 30 days now — with confirmed reports of Turkey fueling the conflict by supplying weaponry and sending jihadist mercenaries to Azerbaijan. Armenians in the diaspora — many of whom were displaced during the genocide committed by Turkey in 1915 — have been protesting around the world to raise awareness and demand a call to action from the international community.

The AYF-WUS decided to hold the hunger strike in front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles because “As American citizens, we are tired of our taxpayer money going to nations like Turkey and Azerbaijan who are committing war crimes against innocent civilians” stated Aram Manoukian, AYF-WUS Chairperson.

“The world needs to open their eyes to the violence being perpetrated upon Armenians in the region, a landlocked Christian nation who is forced to defend itself against dictators like Aliyev from Azerbaijan and Erdogan from Turkey” stated Alik Ourfalian, an AYF-WUS member.

The young activists say the hunger strike will culminate up to a march on Sunday from the Federal Building to the Azerbaijani Consulate, beginning at 11a.m.

Founded in 1933, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and the most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the United States, working to advance the social, political, educational and cultural awareness among Armenian-American youth.

DR. HRAYR JEBEJIAN

I was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on February 8, 1957. I am a Lebanese-Armenian who has lived with dual identities and histories all my life – ones filled with struggle and wars, to say the least. Lebanon, for one, has a long history of local and regional conflicts and just went through a devastating explosion that wiped out half of its capital city. As for being Armenian in the 21st century: it means being in a constant battle for national identity and fighting a century-long battle for justice, i.e., the recognition of the first ethnic cleansing of the 20th century – the Armenian Genocide. The two unfortunately have several things in common (as you can tell): mainly the struggle to build life in the midst of uncertainties, life that goes beyond that of the individual and embraces different aspects of community at large.

I moved to Cyprus in 2005 and subsequently received my Cypriot citizenship. I have been working in the Arabian (Persian) Gulf countries for the last 30 years. I often find myself asking the recurring question: “Where is home”? Is it Beirut, Nicosia, or better yet, Kuwait? I suppose I am what you may call the archetype of an Armenian living in diaspora.

Don’t get me wrong, my heart is filled with love and appreciation for all these countries that have given me citizenships, identities, education, shelter… accompanied with a few challenges along the way as well – mainly the challenge of staying alive while growing up in war-zone Beirut. Nevertheless, it made me the person I am today and incredibly proud of my rich heritage (which I will talk more of throughout this piece).

I also have a sensation of deep joy and pride in my heart when I think of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh. Each of my visits to my homelands only reinforces this sensation and strengthens my Christian faith. The homelands where my identity is rooted deep in the soil and my sense of belonging is revealed.

There are reasons for that, though.

As a third-generation Armenian living in diaspora, I carry, together with every Armenian I know, the pain of the Genocide. We carry the pain of our ancestors who were massacred and the pain of being deprived of living in the land which is rightfully ours.

In 1915, my father was deported from his home in Aintab. He was barely a year old then. His family settled in Aleppo, Syria, and then moved to Beirut, Lebanon, where I was born. My family lost 25 of its members during the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey from 1908 to 1915, along with all their physical properties. I haven’t met them, but I know them because I cherish the memories and legacies they left behind through those who survived. I see their faces every time I look through old pictures in my family album and imagine a life in Aintab, and what it would have been like if they had lived.

As ironic as it may sound, this pain has in a sense made my life all the more meaningful. This same pain has made me realize that it is possible to live, prosper, and have hope for life. To live and prosper as an Armenian in diaspora, away from home, but never, not even for a minute, giving up on that hope, that we will one day go back home. Albeit home (historical Armenia) is not “reachable” at the moment, the republics of Armenia and Artsakh are.

When reflecting on the idea of how pain and suffering can bring people together, I stumbled on Walter Brueggemann’s work. Brueggemann is a prominent American theologian and believes that the task of prophetic ministry and imagination is that of bringing people to engage with their experiences of suffering and death, which energizes and links people to hope. Brueggemann explains that this hope helps the individual cut through the despair which might otherwise seem unresolvable or unending.

I really think the present war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), that has been on-going for nearly a month now, can generate this same hope. This hope, which is the prophetic ministry of the Armenian people, will cut through the pain and despair of the Armenian Genocide and turn it to peace and justice – the peace and the justice Armenians have been longing for their whole lives.

For some context on the war, here’s a little history of the region:

The Republic of Artsakh or Nagorno Karabakh is a de facto independent state and shares borders with Armenia, Iran, and Azerbaijan. Artsakh is considered to be the second Armenian Republic. The capital of Artsakh is Stepanakert and is the largest city of the Artsakh Republic. It is the cultural, educational, and economic center of the region. Stepanakert is located on the eastern slopes of Karabakh’s mountain chain, at the left bank of the Vararakn River. The capital was originally named after this river but was later renamed in honor of Bolshevik politician and revolutionary Stephan Shahumian.

Stepanakert is a modern city with wide, clean streets, new builds, and nice parks. The predominantly Armenian-populated region (99.7%) of Nagorno-Karabakh was claimed by both the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the First Republic of Armenia when both countries became independent in 1918 after the fall of the Russian Empire, and a brief war over the region broke out in 1920. The dispute was largely shelved after the Soviet Union established control over the area and created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923.

When the Soviet Union fell, the region re-emerged and became the subject of what I see is a series of endless wars and suffering between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In 1991, a referendum was held in the NKAO and the neighboring Shahumian region which resulted in a declaration of independence. Ethnic conflict between Armenians and Azeris led to the 1991–1994 Nagorno-Karabakh War, which ended with a ceasefire along the current borders.

The recent military strike and the war against Artsakh by Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Islamist Jihadists, is actually a matter of life or death for Armenians. As I’m writing my thoughts down, the capital Stepanakert and other cities are being heavily bombarded. The country’s historical churches and monuments are being burnt to the ground and hundreds of innocent civilians are dying. Azerbaijan and Turkey consist of more than 90 million people. Whereas Armenia and Artsakh are barely three million put together. I cannot help but be reminded of the story of David and Goliath in the Bible, mainly when looking at the power discrepancies.

Is history repeating itself? Most likely, yes. 105 years on, we are faced with the same power trying to bring us down to our knees.

We are in a different scenario today than that of the crimes and ethnic cleansings of 1908 and 1915, though. Let me tell you why I think that is.

On September 30, 2019, I was lucky enough to be in Stepanakert, Artsakh, for the second time, presenting my book Armenian Diasporan Lives: As I Saw Them. The event took place in the National University of Artsakh. I also had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs during this visit. I enjoyed the beautiful country and my fellow Armenians living in Artsakh. They shared their passion for the land and for the Armenian identity. The landscape is so beautiful and the people even more so. One year on, and I am still in awe of all the beauty. It is truly life changing.

Today’s war in Artsakh is in a sense a battle to hold on to that beauty, that of the land and of its peoples’ hearts. The beauty of being Armenian, really. It is this beauty that is being so passionately protected by the Armenian soldiers who are committed to defend their land up to martyrdom. The young boys on the frontline are fighting because they want to live their lives in their homeland with dignity.

For what it’s worth, my intent while writing this was not to focus on the Artsakh war with regards to what it might mean in the current geopolitical scene of the region and the world. Many proxy wars are going on in the world and numerous political analyses are being written in the media. A whole separate four pager could be written up about that. My perspectives in this article are rather those of an ordinary Armenian with strong attachments to his national, cultural, and Christian heritage and believes that the latter is possible through the homeland.

Looking at Artsakh from a patriot’s perspective, no war or physical force of any kind can eradicate its beauty. Armenians want peace, justice, and the right for the self-determination and the recognition of their homeland. From an Armenian’s perspective living in a scattered diaspora, I see bloodshed and unrest: a very high price we continue to pay, in our struggle for peace and justice.

Armenia’s total homeland area was around 300,000 sq-km. The present Republic of Armenia is 29,743 sq-km. We lost almost 90% of it over the years, during the Genocide, and the many political upheavals which followed thereafter. There is indeed not much land left to spare, is there?

As I follow the fierce battle from a distance, my prayers are with my fellow Armenians. I stand with my people as they struggle to stay alive with dignity. I stand with my army in Artsakh as they struggle for peace and justice. May the soul of the Armenian soldiers and the civilian martyrs rest in peace.

The beauty of Artsakh will never fade, and it will not be defeated.

Reverting to the biblical story of David and Goliath: David beats Goliath, even though the fight and power dynamics were uneven. David beats Goliath because he was fighting for the GOOD cause.

This is the Armenians’ war for peace and justice. It is through this struggle for peace and justice that GOOD is created.

And the GOOD always wins.

Hrayr Jebejian is General Secretary of the Bible Society in the Gulf. He holds a Doctor of Ministry degree in Bible Engagement from the New York Theological Seminary. Jebejian is the author of three books, along with articles published in academic journals and encyclopedias. He is a recipient of the Ambassador of the Homeland medal from the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia.