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AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 3 2014
Washington says pro-Armenian resolution personal affair of California State
By Aynur Jafarova
The U.S. Department of State announced that pro-Armenian resolution
adopted by the California State Senate is a personal affair of the
State.
"I am not going to have any comment on a resolution on
Nagorno-Karabakh adopted by the California State Senate," U.S.
Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki said. "It is a state
issue."
California Senate passed a resolution, which is of anti-Azerbaijani
nature, on August 27. The racist anti-Azerbaijani resolution AJR 32 on
Nagorno-Karabakh has been on the agenda of the California State Senate
for some time. The resolution, calling to recognize a separatist
regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan was introduced by
Assemblyman Mike Gatto at the behest of the Armenian lobby.
Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles has condemned the
adoption of an anti-Azerbaijani resolution. The Azerbaijani community
of California also got mobilized and through various means harshly
protested against the resolution.
Baku also announced that voting for this resolution, the Californian
senators actually called for supporting the occupation of Azerbaijani
lands, which contradicts international norms and principles.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said the
resolution is declarative in nature and has no legal force, adding
that it happened due to the Armenian lobby's financial support.
"This fact calls into question the honesty of the senators who voted
for passing this document. This was possible thanks to the financial
support of the Armenian lobby in the U.S.," Abdullayev stressed.
This resolution is not the first resolution adopted by the California
Legislature regarding Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which erupted back in
1988 over Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
The three similar resolutions had been adopted by the Legislature at
the behest of the Armenian lobby in 1993, 1997 and 1999. However
neither those resolutions, nor AJR 32 have any legal or political
significance.
The U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan earlier also announced that the
resolution passed by the California State Senate regarding
Nagorno-Karabakh is an expression of opinion by a state legislative
body and does not change U.S. foreign policy on the matter.
"The U.S. foreign policy is determined by the federal government," the
embassy said. "The States are free to express their opinions but those
opinions do not represent national foreign policy."
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s.
Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been
largely fruitless so far.
As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000
Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing and almost
100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.
The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been
enforced to this day.
Sept 3 2014
Washington says pro-Armenian resolution personal affair of California State
By Aynur Jafarova
The U.S. Department of State announced that pro-Armenian resolution
adopted by the California State Senate is a personal affair of the
State.
"I am not going to have any comment on a resolution on
Nagorno-Karabakh adopted by the California State Senate," U.S.
Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki said. "It is a state
issue."
California Senate passed a resolution, which is of anti-Azerbaijani
nature, on August 27. The racist anti-Azerbaijani resolution AJR 32 on
Nagorno-Karabakh has been on the agenda of the California State Senate
for some time. The resolution, calling to recognize a separatist
regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan was introduced by
Assemblyman Mike Gatto at the behest of the Armenian lobby.
Azerbaijani Consulate General in Los Angeles has condemned the
adoption of an anti-Azerbaijani resolution. The Azerbaijani community
of California also got mobilized and through various means harshly
protested against the resolution.
Baku also announced that voting for this resolution, the Californian
senators actually called for supporting the occupation of Azerbaijani
lands, which contradicts international norms and principles.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said the
resolution is declarative in nature and has no legal force, adding
that it happened due to the Armenian lobby's financial support.
"This fact calls into question the honesty of the senators who voted
for passing this document. This was possible thanks to the financial
support of the Armenian lobby in the U.S.," Abdullayev stressed.
This resolution is not the first resolution adopted by the California
Legislature regarding Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which erupted back in
1988 over Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
The three similar resolutions had been adopted by the Legislature at
the behest of the Armenian lobby in 1993, 1997 and 1999. However
neither those resolutions, nor AJR 32 have any legal or political
significance.
The U.S. embassy in Azerbaijan earlier also announced that the
resolution passed by the California State Senate regarding
Nagorno-Karabakh is an expression of opinion by a state legislative
body and does not change U.S. foreign policy on the matter.
"The U.S. foreign policy is determined by the federal government," the
embassy said. "The States are free to express their opinions but those
opinions do not represent national foreign policy."
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s.
Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been
largely fruitless so far.
As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000
Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing and almost
100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.
The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian
withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been
enforced to this day.