Ankara Suggests Kocharian To Recognize Turkey’s Borders

Azg/arm
24 Nov 04

And to Stop Pushing for International Recognition of “Alleged” Genocide

November 20 issue of Turkish Daily News touched upon President Robert
Kocharian’s speech made at Herbert Quant Foundation in Berlin and an
interview to the German Die Welt newspaper.

“Armenia’s blockade by Turkey is one of those factors hampering EU’s
cooperation with the South Caucasus. We consider it abnormal that a EU
member would-be country blockades a state included in New Neighborhood
initiative. This means that today we have the key to settle the issue,
and EU holds it”, Kocharian said in his speech.

In his speech and interview to the German paper President Kocharian
noted that the possibility of settling Armenian-Turkish relations
emerged after European Commission’s report, which suggested starting
accession talks with Turkey, and after Armenia was included in the
New Neighborhood.

In an article titled “Armenia urges Turkey to open border, Ankara
unmoved” the Turkish Daily News quotes an official saying that
normalizing ties with a country which refuses to recognize boundaries
would be inconceivable. “The issue of alleged genocide is also a
highly sensitive matter for Turkey and a major obstacle for the
normalization of ties”, writes the paper.

Another Turkish newspaper Zaman also writes that there will be no
relations established between Turkey and Armenia unless the latter
stops claiming for genocide recognition and recognizes Kars Treaty
of 1921 that set Armenian-Turkish boundaries.

Since Armenia’s independence in 1991, Turkey has been seeking after
Yerevan’s retreat in territorial demands and renunciation of Armenian
Genocide. In spring of 1993, when the Armenian forces took control
over Qelbajar region administratively belonging to Azerbaijan, Turkish
government took a decision (4 April, 1993) of closing border with
Armenia. Armenia’s blockade carries on since that very day. Ankara
drew forward a precondition for opening the border-gate: Armenia should
withdraw its forces from Nagorno Karabakh and contiguous territories.

Interestingly, neither Zaman nor Turkish Daily News mention about the
3d precondition. Ankara often uses Karabakh issue to pay a compliment
to congeneric Azeris. It should be noted that Turkey had time to
establish diplomatic relations with Armenia in the period of 1991-1993.

Turkish papers quote Kocharian saying, “For us, the recognition of
the Armenian genocide in 1915 by Turks is certainly very important,
but it will never be a condition for the development of bilateral
relations. If Ankara recognized this fact, it would be a significant
step forward in the direction of normalizing relations”.

An official from the Armenian Foreign Ministry informed Azg Daily
that Turkey will establish relations with Armenia only in case Yerevan
officially writes down that has no territorial pretense to Turkey. The
official noted that the former Armenian government did not take that
step nor will the present and future governments do.

Turkey’s demand of recognizing state’s present-day borders is
nonsense in itself. If the Kars Treaty was signed by Armenia, Georgia
and Azerbaijan why does not Turkey demand the other two states to
officially declare about recognizing Turkey’s borders? Moreover, if
a state joins the UN it means that the country recognizes borders of
all other member states. And in the end, even if Armenia recognizes
Turkey’s borders it will need diplomatic relations in order to discuss
all the issues the countries face.

By Tatoul Hakobian

“OUR GOAL IS TO ACHIEVE DE JURE RECOGNITION OF KARABAKH”

Azg/arm
24 Nov 04

Arkady Ghukasian, NKR President, during his visit to the US stated in
the course of the meeting with the Armenian community of California
that Karabakh will never surrender to Azerbaijan. “Our aim is
to achieve de jure recognition of Karabakh,” he said. Ghukasian
negatively assessed the activities of Baku authorities that try to
include in the agenda of the UN the issue of the so-called occupied
territories. He said that the provoking steps taken by the official
Baku make the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process more complicated. NKR
President said that the issues of territories and refugees occurred
as a result of the military aggression of Azerbaijan, these issues
are the results of armed conflict. “The main issue of the conflict
is Nagorno Karabakh’s status,” Ghukasian said.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

AGBU LENDS ITS SUPPORT TO KARABAKH NORTH-SOUTH HIGHWAY

New York, November 19, 2004 – AGBU President Berge Setrakian hosted
Nagorno Karabakh President Arkady Ghoukassian and his delegation at
a special luncheon on November 14, 2004, at Manhattan’s University
Club on the eve of Armenia Fund’s annual Thanksgiving telethon.

Special guests at the Sunday event included U.S. Congressman Frank
Pallone (D-NJ), Armenian Ambassador to the United Nations, Armen
Martirosyan, and Secretary of the Fifth Committee of the General
Assembly and the Committee for Programs and Coordination at the United
Nations, Movses Abelian.

Mr. Setrakian welcomed all those in attendance and encouraged their
active support in the fundraising campaign to expedite the completion
of the North-South highway.

President Ghoukassian, during his remarks, commended AGBU and its
leaders for their continuous support and dedication to Armenia in
general and to Karabakh in particular.

AGBU has supported Karabakh’s efforts to rebuild its economic,
educational and cultural infrastructure that most recently includes
the renovation and renaming of Alex Manoogian Street, the funding of
the Karabakh Chamber Orchestra, the building of a war veterans housing
complex and a public school-all in the capital of Stepanakert-and
the ambitious Karabakh Repopulation Project that seeks to rebuild
war-torn villages and provide livestock to local Karabakh families
in need. Earlier this year, AGBU opened an office in Stepanakert to
coordinate its activities and programs in Karabakh.

Founded in 1906, AGBU is the largest Armenian non-profit organization
with the mission to promote and preserve the Armenian heritage around
the world. For more information, please visit

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPORTS ON L. TER-PETROSIAN PERSONAL MEETING WITH G. BUSH “OVERDONE”

PanArmenian News
Nov 23 2004

23.11.2004 13:43

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A reliable Armenian source in Washington reports
that there was no personal meeting between the ex-President of Armenia
and the incumbent US President in Little Rock. It should be reminded
that former Armenian President’s office spread information about such
a meeting Saturday, November 20. Although Ter-Petrosian and Bush
participated in a measure of opening a library of US ex-President
B. Clinton in Little Rock (Arkansas), however, they did not hold a
private meeting, our source states, adding that L. Ter-Petrosian
smoked much and talked little, as usual. It is not known whether
the information on a meeting with Bush was spread on the initiative
of L. Ter-Petrosian himself or it was “a local action.” In case the
former is true, it may evidence that the ex-President has got seriously
“interested” in politics again.

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Phone 212.319.6383 x.118
Fax 212.319.6507
Email [email protected]
Website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

ARMENIAN PHILHARMONIC PLAYS TO PACKED HOUSE IN ISTANBUL

The AGBU-funded Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra (APO), along with the
State Academic Choir of Armenia, performed together in a sold-out
performance at Istanbul’s Lutfi Kirdar concert hall on October
15, 2004. The performance was the first of its kind in Turkey’s
cultural capital and was at the invitation by the Sahakian School
Alumni Association and sponsored by the district of Sisli, Istanbul,
an area with a large Armenian community.

Over 2000 people attended the event, including local politicians such
as the mayor and deputy mayor of Sisli, Mustafa Sarigul and Vasgen
Parn respectively, the Mayor of Pagirgiukh, Jacqueline Qeoseh, the
Russian Ambassador to Turkey, the Armenian representative to the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation, Arsen Avagian, as well as representatives
of various cultural and community organizations, and reporters from
all major Armenian and Turkish media outlets.

Under the direction of Istanbul-born Maestro Hovhannes Tchekidjian,
the APO performed some of the better-known works of Rossini, Orff,
Handel, Mozart and Verdi, along with a number of Armenian pieces
that moved the capacity crowd. During the Armenian program, soprano
Karine Avetissian sang highlights from the “Anoush” opera and soprano
Zemfira Daniyelian performed the “Sayat Nova” cantata, while during the
second half tenor Rafael Melkonyan performed a solo from Chukhajian’s
“Leblebiji” operetta.

The concert ended with a prolonged standing ovation and shouts of
“Bravo, Chekdji.” In response to the applause the APO performed
the recently anointed anthem of the Armenian capital of Yerevan,
“Erebouni-Yerevan”, followed by the popular, “Ara Ho”.

Formed over 75 years ago, APO has been mainly subsidized by the AGBU
since 1992 in recognition of the importance of the performing arts
in Armenia. Annual grants are allocated for weekly concerts, new
instruments, administration, salary supplements, international guest
artists and special festivals. APO has successfully toured Austria,
France, Greece, England, Lebanon, Iran, Russia and the UAE and has
produced over a dozen CD recordings. For more information on APO
please visit or

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Europe throws up a volatile challenge to Turkey’s idea of national self
By SELCAN HACAOGLU

The Associated Press
11/23/04 19:32 EST

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – As a child, Hrant Dink dreamed of becoming
a homicide detective, but he faced an insurmountable obstacle. In
overwhelmingly Muslim Turkey, Jews and Christians can’t join the
police.

Now that unwritten rule, product of a history of ethnic strife and
distrust of non-Muslim minorities, is coming into heated debate
as Turkey faces up to the reforms it must undertake to achieve its
cherished goal of joining the European Union.

Things almost came to blows earlier this month at a news conference by
a semiofficial human rights body, when its chairman, Ibrahim Kaboglu,
suggested Turkey must expand minority rights.

Fahrettin Yokus, a civil service union leader, grabbed the papers from
Kaboglu’s hands and ripped them up. “We don’t recognize this report;
it is aimed at dividing the country,” he shouted.

The EU demands, he charged, “are threatening our unity.”

Kaboglu, whose Human Rights Advisory Council was created by the
prime minister’s office, has sought police protection. His critics,
meanwhile, have petitioned state prosecutors to file treason charges
against Kaboglu and those who signed the statement that he read.

Tensions have heightened since an EU panel ruled last month that
for Turkey to negotiate its way into the prosperous 25-nation bloc,
it would have to meet European standards of democracy and human rights.

It urged Turkey to grant more rights to ethnic Kurds and recognize
Alawites, a religious sect rooted in Islam, as a minority. Jews and
Christians already have minority rights, but are still suffering
discrimination, such as exclusion from the police, Foreign Ministry
and military officers’ corps, the panel
said.

But while multiculturalism may be the norm in much of Europe, it’s
an explosive concept in Turkey. Here children open the school day
by saying “Happy is the one who says ‘I am a Turk,”‘ and the word
“minority’ is seen by nationalists as code for national fragmentation.

More than a quarter of Turkey’s 71 million people are either Kurds,
Alawites or share both identities. It has an estimated 130,000
non-Muslims – Greek, Armenian and other Christians, and Jews.

President Ahmet Necdet Sezer says the debate over minority rights is
“destructive,” and that every citizen of the state – Muslim or other –
is a Turk and is bound to the Turkish state.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul ruled out any official recognition of
Muslim minorities. As for non-Muslims, he acknowledged that there are
“possible snags,” such as property rights, which the government was
trying to address.

The military, which regards itself as the guardian of a united, secular
Turkey, spelled out its distaste for the idea of Muslim minority
rights in a statement read to a news conference by its deputy chief,
Gen. Ilker Basbug.

“The nation is a whole. It cannot be seen as made up of pieces,” it
said. Otherwise “this would open the way to the breakup of the state.”

This unyielding approach is rooted in the founding doctrines of the
Turkish republic that arose in 1923 on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire.

Although the new constitution was staunchly secular, many Turkish
Muslims regarded Christians and Jews as foreigners in their new
state. They were deeply suspicious of the Greeks and Armenians, the
main Christian communities, which had risen up against the Ottoman
Empire as it collapsed.

The new definition of Turkishness was strictly enforced, especially
on the Kurds who dominate the southeast. Their language was suppressed
and a Kurdish rebellion has left 37,000 dead since 1984.

Sectarian clashes also broke out between Alawites and the Sunni Muslim
majority in the late 1970s and again in the 1990s.

Dink, an Armenian Christian, is now 50 and a journalist. He told NTV,
a private network, that all he wanted was to catch murderers. “But
I was barred from becoming a detective in this country because I am
seen as a security concern.”

Azeri officer admits killing Armenian with axe-MTI

Reuters
11/23/04 11:51 ET

BUDAPEST, Nov 23 (Reuters) – An Azeri officer who killed an Armenian
with an axe at a Budapest military academy pleaded guilty in court
on Tuesday, saying he took revenge for Armenian attacks on Azeris,
Hungarian news agency MTI reported.

Former Soviet republics Armenia and Azerbaijan declared an uneasy
ceasefire after going to war in 1988, part of a long and bitter
territorial dispute.

“It was not my plan to be so cruel, savage,” 27-year-old Ramil Safrov
Sahib told the court.

When asked why he almost severed the head of the victim he said
“because they did the same to 8,000 people of ours.”

In February, Sahib entered the Armenian’s room, stabbed him several
times with a knife and struck him repeatedly with an axe, almost
severing his head.

The pair were on an English language course run under the auspices
of NATO’s Partnership for Peace.

Sahib was charged with committing premeditated murder with extreme
cruelty, and faces possible life imprisonment if found guilty,
a Budapest Capital Court press official told Reuters.

Azerbaijan seeks UN help in dispute with Armenia
By Irwin Arieff

Reuters
11/23/04 19:06 ET

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 23 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan urged the U.N. General
Assembly on Tuesday to intervene in a long and bitter territorial
dispute with neighboring Armenia over its breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh
region.

But France, Russia and the United States, which have been trying to
resolve the dispute on behalf of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, asked the assembly to stay on the sidelines
and not interfere with their efforts.

Talks “can only progress in an atmosphere of confidence between
the parties. Anything in the direction of building confidence and
of avoiding a division of the General Assembly is helpful,” said
U.S. envoy Susan Moore, speaking on behalf of the OSCE initiative
led by Paris, Moscow and Washington.

Rival claims have hung for years over tiny, mountainous
Nagorno-Karabakh, a mainly ethnic Armenian enclave inside Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan suffered a humiliating defeat in a 1988-94 war with Armenia
over the region after its inhabitants tried to break from Azeri rule.

An estimated 35,000 people were killed and one million refugees fled
to Azerbaijan, where they remain. At the same time, thousands of
ethnic Armenian refugees fled to Armenia.

A cease-fire ended the conflict but the dispute persists despite
international efforts to broker a deal.

Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, said his government
had decided to take the issue to the General Assembly because Armenia
was pursuing an “illegal settlement policy” by flooding the disputed
area with Armenians, with an eye to annexing the enclave.

He called on the assembly to adopt a resolution affirming its
“continued strong support” for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
and the right of Azeri refugees to return to their former homes in
the enclave.

But Armenian Ambassador Armen Martirosyan said Azerbaijan’s proposal
was aimed at torpedoing the OSCE-sponsored negotiations.

The assembly put off a vote on the draft resolution until an
unspecified later date.

Armenia says Azerbaijan-proposed U.N. resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh would kill negotiations

The Associated Press
11/23/04 13:27 EST

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – The Armenian foreign minister said Tuesday that
Azerbaijan’s push for a United Nations resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh
could kill efforts to settle the conflict through direct negotiations.

Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, has been
de facto independent since Armenian-backed forces won control over
the territory in 1994 following a six-year war.

Despite a cease-fire, Armenian-backed forces and Azerbaijani troops
continue to face off across a demilitarized zone, and shooting
occasionally erupts.

Azerbaijan seeks a U.N. resolution on Nagorno-Karabakh that it hopes
would reflect international recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity.

“Azerbaijan is making a mistake by initiating the discussion of this
issue in the United Nations,” said Tuesday Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian.

Oskanian said if the resolution is adopted, ongoing efforts to solve
the issue through direct negotiations would be “dead”.

The United Nations’ General Assembly was to discuss the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on Tuesday. In 1993, it passed four
resolutions demanding the withdrawal of occupation forces and the
return of refugees to Azerbaijan, but none of those has been enforced.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev voiced hope Monday that a new
resolution would help solve the conflict and accused Armenia
of hindering the adoption of the resolution and stalling
negotiations. Aliev said Azerbaijan would only be too glad to
see Armenia drop out of the talks and leave negotiations to
Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a separate development, the Armenian Defense Ministry said Tuesday
that five Nagorno-Karabakh soldiers were killed and several others
injured in a road accident while traveling in a military truck.
It gave no further details on the accident that occurred on Monday.

Armenian National Committee of America
888 17th St., NW, Suite 904
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 775-1918
Fax: (202) 775-5648
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet:

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23, 2004
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918

AZERBAIJAN’S DIVISIVE CAMPAIGN AT UNITED NATIONS
THREATENS TO DERAIL KARABAGH PEACE PROCESS

— Rep. Pallone Speaks Out Against Destructive UN resolution

— ANCA Leads Grassroots Campaign to Urge the
Administration to Oppose Destabilizing Measure

WASHINGTON, DC – The ANCA, today, issued an appeal to Secretary of
State Colin Powell urging him to “strenuously and publicly oppose”
an Azerbaijani-sponsored United Nations resolution which would
seriously undermine the Nagorno Karabagh peace process. The action
follows a strongly worded November 19th House floor statement by
Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and an
earlier joint letter by the Armenian Caucus Co-chairs calling the
resolution “ill-advised” and urging the U.S. take decisive action
against the measure.

United Nations consideration the resolution, which would seek to
condemn the repatriation of Armenians to their ancestral homes in
Nagorno Karabagh, may come as early as Wednesday, November 24th.
Azerbaijan has pressed forward with its resolution, despite
opposition from the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. The Co-Chairs have noted
that, “introducing this issue to the United Nations General
Assembly may have two negative consequences. In light of the
situation we have outlined, this will be detrimental to the efforts
to find a just and lasting settlement of the issue, particularly at
this time. Secondly, it will fail to achieve consensus, a
situation that will not be helpful. We advise avoiding this
situation.”

Azerbaijani Ambassador to the UN, Yashar Aliyev, began lobbying in
support of the resolution on October 14th, the day that he
submitted a letter requesting that it be included on the UN General
Assembly agenda. Both the UN General Committee and General
Assembly have voted to allow the matter to be considered. The
United States, along with Minsk Group Co-Chairs France and Russia,
have abstained on both votes.

In his November 19th remarks, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) expressed
alarm that “the United State has thus far failed to compellingly
address the resolution. . . This failure by the Administration now
has the potential to undermine U.S. interests and American values
in the strategically important Caucasus region.” The full text of
Rep. Pallone’s speech is provided below.

The November 7th letter from the Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank
Pallone and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) raised similar concerns,
stressing that, “efforts to reinforce stability and reduce the risk
of conflict are in the best interests of the U.S. and the South
Caucasus region. To this end, we urge that the United States
forcefully renounce this proposal, secure its retraction, and
impress upon the Azerbaijani government that it should drop such
counter-productive tactics in favor of a serious and lasting
commitment to the OSCE Minsk Group process.”

In the days leading up the vote, ANCA chapters around the country
have mobilized local activists to urge the U.S. Ambassador to the
United Nations to actively oppose the Azerbaijani measure. The
ANCA launched a free WebFax campaign on its website –
— to Secretary Powell and US Ambassador to the UN John Danforth,
calling for an unequivocal “no” vote on the resolution. The WebFax
letter explains that Azerbaijan’s resolution “works at cross-
purposes to America’s interests, which are best served by continued
dialogue. In fact, the only interests served by Azerbaijan’s
resolution will be those of hardliners in Baku who seek the
fragmentation of the OSCE framework, the unraveling of ten year’s
worth of negotiations, and the resumption of hostilities in the
region. . . The United States, as a co-chair of the Minsk Group and
an honest broker to the negotiating process, should strenuously,
and publicly oppose this measure at every stage.”

#####

STATEMENT BY CONGRESSIONAL ARMENIAN CAUCUS CO-CHAIR
REP. FRANK PALLONE (D-NJ)
ON DESTRUCTIVE AZERBAIJAN SPONSORED
RESOLUTION AT THE UNITED NATIONS

Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to bring to our
attention Azerbaijan’s recent introduction of an ill-advised United
Nations General Assembly resolution regarding what Azerbaijan
erroneously refers to as “the situation in the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan.”

This intentionally disruptive resolution directly and significantly
threatens efforts towards a peaceful settlement over the Nagorno –
Karabagh conflict. Furthermore, it jeopardizes the principles and
procedures of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe and specifically the Minsk Group mediation effort, co-
chaired by the United States, France and Russia, to resolve the
Karabagh conflict.

Azerbaijan’s proposal represents a hostile declaration against the
entire peace process, aimed only at fostering increased
divisiveness. Its consideration can only set back the cause of
peace.

Mr. Speaker, it is disturbing to note that this resolution was
recently approved to be included on the U.N. General Assembly’s
agenda. Even more alarming is the fact that the United States has
thus far failed to compellingly address the resolution, choosing to
instead abstain from every vote in which they had an opportunity to
halt the advancement of this destructive measure. This failure by
the administration now has the potential to undermine U.S.
interests and American values in the strategically important
Caucasus region.

Mr. Speaker, the vital role the United States plays as an honest
broker in the Nagorno -Karabagh peace process is gravely threatened
by the administration’s continued lack of decisive action. Given
our commitment to keeping the parties talking and moving forward,
it is necessary for the U.S. to act forcefully against
destabilizing steps that will unravel the peace process. Our
interests are best served by the continuation of dialogue on the
outstanding issues related to Nagorno -Karabagh within the OSCE
framework and not by the fragmentation of this orderly process.

Since the beginning of the Nagorno -Karabagh conflict, Armenia has
been committed to finding a peaceful solution. Moreover, I cannot
stress enough the crucial role that the U.S. plays in the
negotiations over Nagorno -Karabagh to help the people of this
region find a lasting and equitable peace. These actions by
Azerbaijan subvert these efforts and seriously complicate our
diplomacy in the Caucasus region. A failure on our part to
forcefully and publicly confront the Azerbaijani government over
these destabilizing maneuvers would send extremely dangerous
signals to Azerbaijan.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. must take action to condemn Azerbaijan’s
desperate acts of destructive venue shopping, and we here in this
Chamber must do everything that we can to ensure that all parties
involved in this conflict make a genuine commitment towards peace
and stability. Action on the part of the U.S. must go further than
the OSCE joint statement that was released in which the members of
the Minsk Group expressed their concern and opposition towards the
Azeri resolution. Beyond merely releasing a statement, the U.S.
must demonstrate its views by taking a stance and voting against
this measure.

I urge the U.S. to forcefully renounce this proposal, secure its
retraction and impress upon the Azerbaijani government that it
should drop such counterproductive tactics in favor of serious and
lasting commitment to the OSCE Minsk Group process.

The OSCE Minsk Group process cannot survive Azerbaijan’s
destabilizing tactics. Continued tampering with this process will
inevitably produce a chain reaction resulting in its demise. We
cannot afford to allow Azerbaijan to continue to disrupt the work
of the OSCE, which, as my colleagues know, has been recognized by
the U.N. itself as the lead arbiter in this conflict.

Finally, it is time for the U.S. to be more forceful with
Azerbaijan and to make clear that their tactics are not helpful to
a peaceful and just resolution of the Nagorno -Karabagh conflict.
Once again, it is imperative, Mr. Speaker, for the U.S. to vote
against this U.N. resolution, thereby clearly demonstrating that
there are serious consequences to actions that disturb the regional
Caucasus peace, security and prosperity.

#####