NKR Adheres to Supreme Values – Freedom and Democracy
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.07.2006 18:32 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
responded today to a July 17th speech on the House floor by Congressman
Dan Burton (R-IN) that seriously misrepresented Nagorno Karabakh’s
history, status, and right to self-determination.
The Indiana legislator took to the House floor yesterday in an apparent
attempt to undermine the growing Congressional support for Nagorno
Karabakh – as demonstrated by the successful recent Washington, DC
visit and U.S. Capitol reception for the Parliamentary Speaker and
Foreign Minister of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Commenting
on what he perceived as a pro-Nagorno Karabakh tilt among U.S.
legislators, Rep. Burton stressed that: "Any outside influence, any
shift in neutrality can only result in a false peace. That is why I
am deeply concerned when I hear some of my colleagues throwing barbs
at the Azeris and attempting to lay all the blame for this complicated
issue at their doorstep."
In a factually incorrect statement, he sought to call into question
Nagorno Karabakh’s right to self-determination, asserting that:
"So far as I know, the Nagorno Karabakh region has never been a part
of Armenia. To suggest otherwise, and to suggest that the problems
in Nagorno Karabakh are caused solely by Azerbaijan seems to me to
distort the facts and potentially undermine our good faith efforts
to see this conflict resolved; and to see peace and prosperity come
to the people of both Azerbaijan and Armenia."
In a three-page fact sheet sent to every Congressional office, the
ANCA challenged Congressman Burton’s inaccurate description of the
Nagorno Karabakh issue as well as the biased and counter-productive
advice he offered to his House colleagues. The key points addressed in
the ANCA document included: 1) Nagorno Karabakh’s commitment to peace;
2) Azerbaijan’s threat to regional stability; 3) Nagorno Karabakh’s
economic growth; 4) Nagorno Karabakh’s right to self-determination;
5) Nagorno Karabakh’s commitment to democracy; 6) Nagorno Karabakh’s
pivotal role in ending the Soviet threat to America
In addition, the ANCA provided a one-page update on Azerbaijan’s
post-Soviet evolution into an increasingly corrupt and autocratic
petro-state, characterized by leaders who seek to bridge the growing
gap with their own population by demonizing their Armenian neighbors,
ANCA press release says.