OFFICE OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH REPUBLIC IN THE USA
1140 19th Street, NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 223-4330
Fax: (202) 315-3339
E-mail: [email protected]
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PRESS RELEASE
October 3, 2006
NEARLY 80 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS URGE U.S. PRESIDENT TO EXPAND
RELATIONS WITH INDEPENDENT ARTSAKH
Washington, DC – To mark the 15th Anniversary of Artsakh’s
Independence, Members of Congress joined the Co-Chairs of the
Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and
Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), in sending a letter to President Bush
urging him "to recognize the 15th anniversary of the independence of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic [Artsakh]" and calling the President’s
attention to Artsakh’s "efforts in furthering their democracy and
creating an independent state."
Nagorno Karabakh’s decision to establish a sovereign state came as a
continuation of the national liberation movement that began
immediately after Joseph Stalin awarded administrative control over
Karabakh to Soviet Azerbaijan in 1921. After suffering from over 70
years of discrimination and oppression by Azerbaijan and the Soviet
regime, the people of Artsakh stepped up their struggle for freedom
and democracy by establishing the independent Nagorno Karabakh
Republic, Artsakh.
The congressional letter, signed by 77 members and sent to the White
House on September 29, highlights a long history of U.S support to
Nagorno Karabakh and the will of the people of Artsakh to build a
democratic and economically viable country. The letter also notes
the continuation of Azerbaijan’s destructive policy, which threatens
peace and stability in the region and "goes against U.S. interests."
Most importantly, the congressional letter advocates for expansion
of U.S. political and economic engagement with Nagorno Karabakh.
The letter said in part: "As we work towards peace, the United
States can and must expand its engagement with the lawfully and
democratically established Nagorno Karabakh Republic. These ties
should not be dictated by outside forces but rather should be guided
by the shared values of our two nations. […] We should build on this
success by investing in developmental and good governance programs
that will strengthen Nagorno-Karabakh’s economy, democratic
institutions, and promote even greater cooperation on a range of
regional and security issues." (The full text of the letter is
provided at the end of the release.)
Despite the overwhelming challenges of the past 15 years, Artsakh
has registered impressive achievements: successful defense of its
freedom against Azerbaijani military aggression, nearly complete
restoration of its war-devastated economy, continued strengthening
of its democracy, unprecedented economic growth and constructive
partnership with the international community to bring about lasting
peace and stability to the South Caucasus.
"Everyday, we are advancing in building a country of our dreams – a
free, democratic and prosperous Artsakh. Fifteen years of
independent statehood have proved the righteousness of the historic
path chosen on September 2, 1991. Throughout these years, the people
of Artsakh have been truly blessed to enjoy the political and
economic support of the U.S. Congress. We are deeply thankful to the
American people for their generous economic assistance that helped
restore dozens of war-torn villages, drinking water supplies and
medical facilities," said NKR Representative in the United States
Vardan Barseghian.
Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), who co-chairs the Armenian Caucus,
said: "The United States stands for freedom and democracy, values
that have vividly triumphed in Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh, without
any international support. I am proud to support this nation as it
works to achieve formal international recognition of its
well-deserved independence. The U.S. economic assistance to Nagorno
Karabakh should be continued."
"Time and again, the people of Nagorno Karabakh have demonstrated
their firm commitment to values of liberty and peace. They have also
worked hard to establish a developing democracy and growing market
economy. The United States should expand its political and economic
engagement with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic," echoed fellow
Armenian Caucus Co-chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ).
Congressmen Knollenberg and Pallone also thanked their colleagues,
the co-signers of this congressional letter to President Bush, for
supporting this critical initiative. "In its quest for freedom and
its efforts to strengthen its democracy and develop its economy,
Nagorno Karabakh enjoys a broad-based congressional support. Our
collective aim was to convey this message to President Bush as the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic celebrates the 15th Anniversary of
Independence," the congressmen said.
This congressional effort enjoyed strong support of the two
Armenian-American advocacy groups in Washington, DC.
"The Armenian Assembly commends Congressmen Knollenberg and Pallone
for their initiative and leadership in urging the U.S. to strengthen
relations with Karabakh as it celebrates 15 years of independence,"
said Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. "As we mark this
special occasion, we are reminded of the accomplishments the people
of Karabakh have already achieved. The Assembly will continue to
work with its friends in Congress and the Administration to advocate
for Karabakh’s right to self-determination."
"We want to thank Congressmen Knollenberg and Pallone and all those
who joined with the Armenian Caucus in marking this milestone of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s continued contribution to the growth of
democracy, economic development, and the prospects for an equitable
and lasting peace in the Caucasus," said ANCA Executive Director
Aram Hamparian.
On behalf of the NKR Government, Barseghian thanked the Armenian
Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee of America
for their effective work on Capitol Hill.
"We are also grateful to our congressional friends for their
continued support of Nagorno Karabakh on our path towards freedom,
democracy and prosperity — universal values that have been guiding
Artsakh since independence," said Representative Barseghian.
The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in the United States is
based in Washington, DC and works with the U.S. government, academia
and the public representing the official policies and interests of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
* * *
(The following is the full text of the congressional letter sent to
President George W. Bush on September 29, 2006. To request a PDF
copy of the congressional letter, please write to [email protected])
September 29, 2006
The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write to recognize the 15th anniversary of the independence of
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and to call your attention to their
ongoing efforts in furthering their democracy and creating an
independent state.
The United States has a long history of supporting
Nagorno-Karabakh’s democracy and its right to live in freedom and
peace. Since 1992, our government has taken part in international
efforts to reach a sustainable resolution to the conflict between
Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. A durable cease-fire has been in
place since 1994, bringing relative stability to the region.
However, a comprehensive peace agreement has not been reached and
the continued standoff could lead to yet another cycle of violence.
The democratically elected leaders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
have repeatedly offered to implement mutual confidence-building
measures, for which the U.S. government has continued to allocate
funding. These leaders have consistently demonstrated a willingness
to make difficult compromises in the interest of a lasting peace.
However, in contrast, Azerbaijan has rejected confidence-building
measures and demonstrated a consistent pattern of inflexibility in
the negotiating process.
To further destabilize the region, Azerbaijan continues to maintain
a blockade of both Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and regularly
threatens a new wave of violence against Nagorno-Karabakh. We have
every reason to believe this threat is realistic given their rapidly
increasing military budget. An arms race or new violence in the
South Caucasus region goes specifically against U.S. interests in
the region. The key to preventing this outcome is for the United
States to send a clear message to Azerbaijan that we will not
tolerate renewed aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh.
Earlier this year, we were pleased with Assistant Secretary of State
Dan Fried’s statement that, "the will of the people of
Nagorno-Karabakh has to be respected." We wholeheartedly share this
view and hope that you will build upon this constructive approach to
a long-term settlement. Our interest is in working, in a manner
consistent with fundamental democratic principle, to bring a durable
resolution, acceptable to all parties, to the region. As the
world’s greatest force for freedom, we should always champion values
of liberty, democracy, and peace.
As we work towards peace, the United States can and must expand its
engagement with the lawfully and democratically established
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. These ties should not be dictated by
outside forces but rather should be guided by the shared values of
our two nations. Our decision in 1988 to aid Nagorno-Karabakh has
become one of the most effective assistance efforts anywhere in the
world, providing thousands of people with housing, water, and
healthcare needs. We should build on this success by investing in
developmental and good governance programs that will strengthen
Nagorno-Karabakh’s economy, democratic institutions, and promote
even greater cooperation on a range of regional and security issues.
Mr. President, as we mark the 15th anniversary of independence of
Nagorno-Karabakh, we urge you to join with us in celebrating this
nation’s courageous choice for freedom, its strong commitment to
democratic values, and its sincere desire to work toward lasting
peace.
We appreciate your consideration of our concerns.
Sincerely,
[signed]
Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Joseph Baca (D-CA), Charles Bass (R-NH),
Melissa Bean (D-IL), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Michael Bilirakis
(R-FL), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Loi Capps (D-CA), Dennis Cardoza
(D-CA), John Conyers (D-MI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jerry Costello
(D-IL), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Chaka Fattah
(D-PA), Barney Frank (D-MA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Charles Gonzalez
(D-TX), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rush Holt
(D-NJ), Michael Honda (D-CA), Steve Israel (D-NY), Jesse Jackson
(D-IL), Sue Kelly (R-NY), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Dale Kildee
(D-MI), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), James Langevin
(D-RI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sander Levin (D-MI), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA),
Nita Lowey (D-NY), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY),
Edward Markey (D-MA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI),
James McGovern (D-MA), Howard McKeon (R-CA), Michael McNulty (D-NY),
Martin Meehan (D-MA), Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA), Candice
Miller (R-MI), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Eleanor Norton (D-DC), Devin
Nunes (R-CA), John Olver (D-MA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Donald Payne
(D-NJ), Collin Peterson (D-MN), George Radanovich (R-CA), Michael
Rogers (R-MI), Steven Rothman (D-NJ), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA),
Bobby Rush (D-IL), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam
Schiff (D-CA), Joe Schwarz (R-MI), E. Clay Shaw (R-FL), Chris Shays
(R-CT), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Robert Simmons (R-CT), Hilda Solis
(D-CA), Mark Souder (R-IN), Fortney Stark (D-CA), Ted Strickland
(D-OH), John Sweeney (R-NY), John Tierney (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen
(D-MD), Peter Visclosky (D-IN), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), Frank Wolf
(R-VA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Albert Wynn (D-MD)
* * *
This material is distributed by the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic in the USA on behalf of the Government of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic. The NKR Office is registered with the U.S.
Government under the Foreign Agent Registration Act. Additional
information is available at the Department of Justice, Washington,
D.C.