Armenian National Committee of America
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PRESS RELEASE
July 2, 2005
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
ANCA WELCOMES REJECTION BY OSCE PARLIAMENTARY
ASSEMBLY OF DIVISIVE NAGORNO KARABAGH RESOLUTION
— Meeting in Washington, DC, Parliamentarians
from 55-Member States Defeat Azerbaijani Effort
WASHINGTON, DC – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA), meeting last night in
Washington, DC, voted overwhelmingly to defeat a controversial
measure on Nagorno Karabagh authored by Azerbaijani Parliamentarian
Sattar Safarov, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA).
The vote took place during a meeting of the OSCE PA’s Heads of
Delegation, as part of the opening session of the four-day meeting
for members of Parliament from the 55 member states of the OSCE.
The Safarov resolution, which was widely viewed as a biased and
divisive measure, received only token support, with nearly all the
Heads of Delegation voting, by a show of hands, to keep the measure
off of the OSCE PA agenda.
The OSCE PA proceedings are being presided over by Congressman
Alcee Hastings (D-FL), the first U.S. legislator to ever serve in
this capacity. Other members of Congress participating in the
Assembly include: Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), who is heading the
U.S. delegation, Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), and
Representatives Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD),
Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY), Robert
B. Aderholt (R-AL), Mike McIntyre (D-NC), Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA),
Mike Pence (R-IN), and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).
The Armenian delegation is being headed by Vahan Hovhannisian, the
Deputy Speaker of Armenia’s Parliament. Other members of the
delegation are Artashes Geghamyan, MP and Samvel Nikoyan, MP. The
ANCA worked closely with the Armenian delegation and the Armenian
Embassy in Washington, DC, as well as with Armenian National
Committee affiliates in Canada and throughout Europe, in sharing
with OSCE PA members the dangers of the Safarov resolution.
“We would like to thank Congressman Hastings for his leadership in
the Assembly’s proceedings, and to express our appreciation to all
those who voted against the Safarov resolution for their
responsible stewardship of the OSCE’s efforts to facilitate a
negotiated settlement to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict,” said Aram
Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA.
The defeat of the Safarov resolution set the stage for the standard
consideration by the Assembly of the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.
This discussion is being led by Swedish Member of Parliament Goran
Lennmarker, who has served since June of 2002 as the OSCE PA
special representative on this issue. In preparation for the OSCE
PA meeting, Lennmarker presented a report, entitled “A Golden
Opportunity: Some Ideas on Nagorno Karabakh Conflict,” to the Heads
of Delegations to the OSCE PA.
In this report, Lennmarker stressed that there is now a golden
opportunity, through the OSCE Minsk Peace-process, for a peaceful
solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, based on a “win-win”
concept where both Armenia and Azerbaijan come out better. In his
remarks, Lennmarker noted that “the conflict is not frozen,” adding
that “there is no alternative to a peaceful solution – in fact
there is an urgent need to solve the conflict in order to end the
personal, economic, and social suffering on both sides of this
conflict.” He proposed basing a solution on experiences from
Europe, where democracy and integration are fundamental components
in securing a lasting peace, and added that strong European and
international institutions stand ready to support Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
In the weeks leading up to the convening of this meeting, the ANCA,
through grassroots outreach, stressed to the U.S. members of
Congress serving in the OSCE PA that Armenian Americans attach
tremendous importance to Nagorno Karabagh’s rights to freedom,
democracy and self-determination. The Armenian American community,
the ANCA stressed, has invested considerable hope in the OSCE Minsk
Group process and is firmly opposed to any efforts to derail this
effort.
In a June 24th letter sent to Congressman Hastings and to the
others in the U.S. delegation, ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian warned
of the dangers presented by the Safarov resolution, describing it
as a “one-sided approach to a complex issue,” that “neither fairly
characterizes the conflict nor presents any practical steps toward
its resolution. In sum, it is a destructive measure that will, if
adopted, ultimately threaten the progress of the OSCE Minsk Group
peace talks.” Hachikian specifically called on the U.S. members of
the Assembly to vote against the Safarov resolution and “to
strongly oppose any and all efforts to use the Assembly’s meeting
as a forum for one-sided efforts to derail progress toward peace in
Nagorno Karabagh.”
The OSCE PA is the parliamentary dimension of the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe, whose 55 participating States
span the geographical area from Vancouver to Vladivostok. The
primary task of the 317-member Assembly is to facilitate inter-
parliamentary dialogue, an important aspect of the overall effort
to meet the challenges of democracy throughout the OSCE area.
Recognized as a regional arrangement under Chapter VIII of the
United Nations Charter, the OSCE is a primary instrument for early
warning, conflict prevention, crisis management and post-conflict
rehabilitation in its area. The Parliamentary Assembly, originally
established by the 1990 Paris Summit to promote greater involvement
in the OSCE by national parliaments, has grown into a very active
and esteemed member of the OSCE family.
To learn more about the OSCE PA, visit: