Karabakh leader drums up Armenian community’s support in USA
Artsakh State TV, Stepanakert
22 Nov 04
The NKR Nagornyy Karabakh Republic president, Arkadiy Gukasyan,
arrived in California on 19 November.
The Armenian community of California expressed its readiness to
take an active part in the forthcoming telethon and strengthen
its support for Nagornyy Karabakh. During a meeting with a group
of Armenian businessmen and philanthropists in the town of New Port
Beach in the (?Orange county) with the participation of Levon and Zara
Gukasyan, Ralf and Sabi Tufenkyan, and Hakob and Maria Shirvanyan,
the participants stated that they would contribute to the telethon.
Almost everybody stated that the current activity of the Armenian
diaspora reflected the growing trust in the NKR president and the
course of democratization and economic reforms that are under way in
Nagornyy Karabakh.
The same was stated during all the meetings of the NKR president in
California and particularly during a meeting with the Knight council
of the Armenian General Benevolent Union AGBU and its Californian
branch. Head of the AGBU’s California branch Vahe Imastunyan
underlined the importance of the NKR president’s visit to the USA
and strengthening of ties between the Armenian diaspora in the USA
and Artsakh Nagornyy Karabakh . Arkadiy Gukasyan in turn thanked the
participants for their sincere readiness to assist Nagornyy Karabakh
and noted that there were all the necessary conditions to complete this
year financing of the North-South highway and start to carry out other
projects for the development of Artsakh. The president underlined that
active participation of the diaspora in the telethon would demonstrate
to the world that the Armenian community is not indifferent to the
fate of Artsakh. This, according to the NKR president, will also have
political consequences.
In California, the NKR president also met local journalists and
discussed with them the socio-economic development of the NKR, as
well as peace talks to settle the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.
Artsakh won the war because Armenia and the diaspora backed it. I
am confident that joining our efforts, we will succeed also in the
economic battle, President Gukasyan said. Touching upon the settlement
of the conflict, the NKR president said that the NKR could not be
subordinate to Azerbaijan in any way. Arkadiy Gukasyan said that the
goal of the NKR authorities was legal recognition of Nagornyy Karabakh.
He gave a negative assessment of the move of the Baku authorities to
put the issue of the so-called occupies territories on the UN agenda
and described efforts to that end as provocation. Gukasyan said that
these moves of Baku aggravated the whole of the peace process. He
also noted that the issues of territories and refugees had emerged
due to Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Nagornyy Karabakh
and consequently were the result of an armed conflict, whereas the
core issue in the settlement was the status of Nagornyy Karabakh.
While Azerbaijan ignores the issue of Nagornyy Karabakh’s status,
discussing other issues which are the results of the conflict becomes
senseless, Gukasyan said.
On 21 November, the NKR president participated in the Sunday service
at the St Karapet church in Hollywood. The service was carried out
by the head of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church,
Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, who is also in the USA.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress