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Armenian Assembly of America
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aaainc.org
PRESS RELEASE
November 02, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY ENCOURAGED BY NAGORNO KARABAKH PRINCIPLES SIGNED BY
PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND RUSSIA
Washington, DC - Earlier today, the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
signed a joint declaration with respect to the Nagorno Karabakh peace
process, which took place under the auspices of Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev in Moscow, along with the U.S. and French Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Co-Chairs Matt Bryza and
Bernard Fassier, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
This marks the first time since the 1994 truce, which established a
cease-fire that such an agreement has been signed by the parties. The
core of the document commits the parties to the OSCE peaceful political
process. Medvedev stated that this "will facilitate the improvement of
the situation in the South Caucasus and establishment of stability and
security in the region."
In the wake of the August 2008 conflict in Georgia, decreasing oil
prices, global financial instability and the intensified Karabakh
negotiations under the leadership of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
this is an important development. Azerbaijan's initial reaction to the
outbreak of hostilities in South Ossetia was to call for a similar
attack against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
The joint declaration is significant because it marks a break from
Azerbaijan's recalcitrant stance and increased war rhetoric, including
President Ilham Aliyev's recent statement that "the war is not over,
only the first stage has ended and we are ready to liberate our lands at
any moment." The recommitment to the OSCE framework rules out a military
solution as repeatedly espoused by Azerbaijan and will hopefully mark an
end to Azerbaijan's war rhetoric, which also resurfaced in mid-October
during and after the Presidential election in Azerbaijan.
"The Armenian Assembly commends President Serzh Sargsyan and his
Administration for securing a public, legal commitment from Azerbaijan
to adhere to the OSCE process," stated Hirair Hovnanian, Assembly
Chairman of the Board of Trustees. "The Assembly has consistently
believed that whatever the final outcome to the peace process is, that
it must be acceptable to the people of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, and
President Sargsyan has called for active public debate based on the
interests of the Armenian people. The brave people of Nagorno Karabakh
have fiercely defended their homeland and have made the ultimate
sacrifice. Under President Sargsyan's steady hand, Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh have stood firm in the face of adversity as Azerbaijan sought
to purge our people from our ancestral homeland, and inexplicably
continues its saber-rattling rhetoric," continued Hovnanian.
In the late 1980s, Nagorno Karabakh began its peaceful and legal
movement for independence pursuant to Soviet law. Azerbaijan's solution
was to attempt to eliminate the problem by wiping out the Armenians of
Nagorno Karabakh and in Azerbaijan, including progroms in Sumgait and
Baku that targeted Armenians, Russians and Jews. A cease-fire was
brokered in 1994, of which since that time, there have been numerous
proposals put forward to resolve the conflict, including the 2001 "Key
West" talks, which Armenia accepted and Azerbaijan backed away from. A
proposal in 2007 was leaked to the media and only served to embolden
Aliyev's bellicose actions, whose country used windfall oil profits to
finance a massive military build up and continues its attempt to isolate
Armenia through pipeline by-pass routes and other means. For a
comprehensive summary of the historical issues with respect to Nagorno
Karabakh, please follow the link below to "Nagorno Karabagh - A White
Paper."
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin /aaainc/pdf_2008/Nagorno_Karabakh_-_A_Whi
te_Paper .pdf
Any resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must take into account
the facts on the ground, ensure the legitimate safety and security needs
of Karabakh's citizenry, as well as the right to self-determination. The
Assembly has been critically involved with the Nagorno Kabarakh movement
from the beginning. The Assembly notes that the opposition in Armenia
had suspended its activities to allow for this development to take
place, as well as developments with respect to Turkey-Armenia relations.
The Assembly also recalls the support of the United States for the
fundamental rights and the aspirations of the people of Nagorno Karabakh
and for a peaceful and fair settlement as evidenced by passage of
S.J.Res. 178 in the U.S. Senate, as well as, other statements and
actions taken by the U.S. Congress over the last 20 years, including
passage of Assembly-initiated Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act,
which restricted assistance to Azerbaijan until it ceased its hostile
and offensive actions, as well as humanitarian assistance to help the
people of Artsakh rebuild after the devastating effects of the war that
was thrust upon them by Azerbaijan. In addition, to help facilitate the
peace process, the U.S. Congress consistently allocated funds for
confidence building measures (CBMs) among the parties, which were
routinely rejected by Azerbaijan. Instead of pursuing CBMs, the
Azerbaijani military desecrated a centuries old Armenian cemetery in
Julfa. The Christian cemetery dated back to medieval times and was
filled with scores of historic stone monuments engraved with ancient
crosses of historic Armenian design.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
###
NR # 2008-079
Editor's Note: For a comprehensive summary of the historical issues with
respect to Nagorno Karabakh, please follow the link below to "Nagorno
Karabagh - A White Paper."
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaain c/pdf_2008/Nagorno_Karabakh_-_A_Whi
te_Paper.pdf
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.aaainc.org
PRESS RELEASE
November 02, 2008
Contact: Michael A Zachariades
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (202) 393-3434
ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY ENCOURAGED BY NAGORNO KARABAKH PRINCIPLES SIGNED BY
PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN AND RUSSIA
Washington, DC - Earlier today, the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
signed a joint declaration with respect to the Nagorno Karabakh peace
process, which took place under the auspices of Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev in Moscow, along with the U.S. and French Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Co-Chairs Matt Bryza and
Bernard Fassier, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).
This marks the first time since the 1994 truce, which established a
cease-fire that such an agreement has been signed by the parties. The
core of the document commits the parties to the OSCE peaceful political
process. Medvedev stated that this "will facilitate the improvement of
the situation in the South Caucasus and establishment of stability and
security in the region."
In the wake of the August 2008 conflict in Georgia, decreasing oil
prices, global financial instability and the intensified Karabakh
negotiations under the leadership of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
this is an important development. Azerbaijan's initial reaction to the
outbreak of hostilities in South Ossetia was to call for a similar
attack against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
The joint declaration is significant because it marks a break from
Azerbaijan's recalcitrant stance and increased war rhetoric, including
President Ilham Aliyev's recent statement that "the war is not over,
only the first stage has ended and we are ready to liberate our lands at
any moment." The recommitment to the OSCE framework rules out a military
solution as repeatedly espoused by Azerbaijan and will hopefully mark an
end to Azerbaijan's war rhetoric, which also resurfaced in mid-October
during and after the Presidential election in Azerbaijan.
"The Armenian Assembly commends President Serzh Sargsyan and his
Administration for securing a public, legal commitment from Azerbaijan
to adhere to the OSCE process," stated Hirair Hovnanian, Assembly
Chairman of the Board of Trustees. "The Assembly has consistently
believed that whatever the final outcome to the peace process is, that
it must be acceptable to the people of Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, and
President Sargsyan has called for active public debate based on the
interests of the Armenian people. The brave people of Nagorno Karabakh
have fiercely defended their homeland and have made the ultimate
sacrifice. Under President Sargsyan's steady hand, Armenia and Nagorno
Karabakh have stood firm in the face of adversity as Azerbaijan sought
to purge our people from our ancestral homeland, and inexplicably
continues its saber-rattling rhetoric," continued Hovnanian.
In the late 1980s, Nagorno Karabakh began its peaceful and legal
movement for independence pursuant to Soviet law. Azerbaijan's solution
was to attempt to eliminate the problem by wiping out the Armenians of
Nagorno Karabakh and in Azerbaijan, including progroms in Sumgait and
Baku that targeted Armenians, Russians and Jews. A cease-fire was
brokered in 1994, of which since that time, there have been numerous
proposals put forward to resolve the conflict, including the 2001 "Key
West" talks, which Armenia accepted and Azerbaijan backed away from. A
proposal in 2007 was leaked to the media and only served to embolden
Aliyev's bellicose actions, whose country used windfall oil profits to
finance a massive military build up and continues its attempt to isolate
Armenia through pipeline by-pass routes and other means. For a
comprehensive summary of the historical issues with respect to Nagorno
Karabakh, please follow the link below to "Nagorno Karabagh - A White
Paper."
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin /aaainc/pdf_2008/Nagorno_Karabakh_-_A_Whi
te_Paper .pdf
Any resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must take into account
the facts on the ground, ensure the legitimate safety and security needs
of Karabakh's citizenry, as well as the right to self-determination. The
Assembly has been critically involved with the Nagorno Kabarakh movement
from the beginning. The Assembly notes that the opposition in Armenia
had suspended its activities to allow for this development to take
place, as well as developments with respect to Turkey-Armenia relations.
The Assembly also recalls the support of the United States for the
fundamental rights and the aspirations of the people of Nagorno Karabakh
and for a peaceful and fair settlement as evidenced by passage of
S.J.Res. 178 in the U.S. Senate, as well as, other statements and
actions taken by the U.S. Congress over the last 20 years, including
passage of Assembly-initiated Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act,
which restricted assistance to Azerbaijan until it ceased its hostile
and offensive actions, as well as humanitarian assistance to help the
people of Artsakh rebuild after the devastating effects of the war that
was thrust upon them by Azerbaijan. In addition, to help facilitate the
peace process, the U.S. Congress consistently allocated funds for
confidence building measures (CBMs) among the parties, which were
routinely rejected by Azerbaijan. Instead of pursuing CBMs, the
Azerbaijani military desecrated a centuries old Armenian cemetery in
Julfa. The Christian cemetery dated back to medieval times and was
filled with scores of historic stone monuments engraved with ancient
crosses of historic Armenian design.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly is the largest
Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.
###
NR # 2008-079
Editor's Note: For a comprehensive summary of the historical issues with
respect to Nagorno Karabakh, please follow the link below to "Nagorno
Karabagh - A White Paper."
http://www.aaainc.org/fileadmin/aaain c/pdf_2008/Nagorno_Karabakh_-_A_Whi
te_Paper.pdf