Armenian National Committee of America
1711 N Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
Tel. (202) 775-1918
Fax. (202) 775-5648
Email [email protected]
Internet
PRESS RELEASE
April 19, 2007
Contact: Elizabeth S. Chouldjian
Tel: (202) 775-1918
STATE DEPARTMENT REVISES MISSTATEMENT
REGARDING NAGORNO KARABAGH
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of State has revised the
mistaken assertion, within the Armenia section of its recently
released annual human rights report, that, "Armenia continues to
occupy the Azerbaijani territory of Nagorno-Karabagh and seven
surrounding Azerbaijani territories," reported the Armenian
National Committee of America (ANCA).
The amended language, released this week, has been posted on the
Department’s website. It reads as follows: "Armenian forces
occupy large portions of Azerbaijan territory adjacent to Nagorno-
Karabakh. Armenian officials maintain that they do not ‘occupy’
Nagorno-Karabakh itself." The Azerbaijan section, which included
nearly identical language, has yet to be revised.
"We take note of the fact that the State Department has responded
to our concern that the report’s mischaracterization of Nagorno
Karabagh’s status would be detrimental to the U.S. government’s
role as an impartial mediator of the Minsk Group negotiations,"
said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "We remain concerned
that the amended text continues to fall short of accurately
describing the situation, as well as by the fact that the
Azerbaijan section of the report continues to make incorrect
assertions, thus making its text inconsistent with the State
Department’s own revision of the Armenia section."
ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in an April 3, 2007 letter to
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, expressed the Armenian
American community’s profound concern that, "such statements
fundamentally misrepresent the well-documented reality in the
region, contradict the Department’s previous human rights reports,
and undermine the credibility of the United States as an impartial
arbiter destined to a leadership role in the OSCE Minsk Group peace
process." He added that, "These unprecedented assertions are both
factually inaccurate and counter-productive to our government’s aim
of reaching a durable resolution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict.
To say that Nagorno Karabagh is an Azerbaijani territory and that
Armenia occupies Nagorno Karabagh and other territories is to
ignore the very fundamentals of this conflict. These statements
only serve to send the wrong message to the Azerbaijani side and
further complicate the peace negotiations."
The Armenia report can be viewed online at:
9.htm
The Azerbaijan report can be viewed online at:
1.htm
The full text of the ANCA letter is provided below.
#####
Text of ANCA letter to Secretary Rice
April 3, 2007
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Rice:
I am writing to share with you our profound concern that serious
misstatements, portraying Armenia as an occupier of Azerbaijani
territory, have made their way into the Armenia and Azerbaijan
sections of the 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,
recently released by the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights, and Labor. Such statements fundamentally
misrepresent the well-documented reality in the region, contradict
the Department’s previous human rights reports, and undermine the
credibility of the United States as an impartial arbiter destined
to a leadership role in the OSCE Minsk Group peace process.
I refer specifically to the following sentence in the Armenia
section (Respect for Human Rights; Section 1: Respect for the
Integrity of the Person; Section A: Arbitrary or Unlawful
Deprivation of Life): "Armenia continues to occupy the Azerbaijani
territory of Nagorno-Karabagh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani
territories." I also refer to the equivalent sentence in the
Azerbaijan section (Respect for Human Rights; Section 1: Respect
for the Integrity of the Person; Section A: Arbitrary or Unlawful
Deprivation of Life): "Armenia continued to occupy the Azerbaijani
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani
territories."
These unprecedented assertions are both factually inaccurate and
counter-productive to our government’s aim of reaching a durable
resolution to the Nagorno Karabagh conflict. To say that Nagorno
Karabagh is an Azerbaijani territory and that Armenia occupies
Nagorno Karabagh and other territories is to ignore the very
fundamentals of this conflict. These statements only serve to send
the wrong message to the Azerbaijani side and further complicate
the peace negotiations.
To the Department’s credit, it does appear that, in the weeks since
the initial release of the 2006 Report, there has been an effort,
albeit an awkward and insufficient one, to recognize this fact by
adding an asterisk modifying the word "Armenia" with the phrase
"Armenian forces." Unfortunately, rather than clarifying the
situation, this modification has only added to the confusion
surrounding this issue.
In the interest of truth and for the sake of an effective
peacemaking role by the United States, it is imperative that these
sentences be struck in their entirety from both the Armenia and
Azerbaijan sections, thus reaffirming U.S. policy on the side of
fairness and lasting peace.
I look forward to learning of your prompt action on this matter and
would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss this
issue in greater detail.
Sincerely yours,
[signed]
Kenneth V. Hachikian
Chairman
cc: Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global
Affairs
Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs
Barry Lowenkron, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Democracy,
Human Rights and Labor
Matthew Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs