Author: Eduard Nalbandian

SACRAMENTO — A senate resolution authored by Californian State senators Anthony J. Portantino and Bob Archuleta was introduced on Tuesday, calling on President Joe Biden to take immediate steps to address the ongoing illegal detention of Armenian POWs, civilians, and government leaders by Azerbaijan.

“It is unacceptable that we are allowing Azerbaijan to continue their genocidal policies and illegally hold and detain innocent Artsakh residents,” stated Senator Portantino.

“It is beyond sad that concrete steps have yet to be taken to address the ethnic cleansing of Armenians and the continued illegal detention of Armenian POWs, civilians and leaders. Azerbaijan and the Aliyev regime must be held accountable for these atrocities and the US and the international community should and must be more strident in its defense of Artsakh and Armenians being illegally held,” Portantino added.

“The remaining POWs, hostages, and other detainees must be immediately released by Azerbaijan and returned safely to their families,” said Senator Archuleta.

“In disregard of human rights and international law, Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian civilian, military, and political leaders hostage. With over 100,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from their homes in Artaskh, California and the United States must unite in holding the Azerbaijani government responsible for these repeated, horrific assaults on the Armenian people,” added Archuleta.

The resolution is particularly personal for Senator Portantino, as several of those being held are friends and associates with whom he has met and socialized with, both in Artsakh and in his Glendale District Office.

Senator Portantino had recently hosted former Artsakh Foreign Minister and Advisor to the President David Babayan in Glendale, after being briefed in Artsakh by Babayan shortly after the 44-Day War. Minister Babayan is one of the government officials being illegally held by Azerbaijan. Senator Portantino was invited to go to Artsakh after the 44-Day War by the Human Rights Defender, Artak Beglaryan.

Sen. Portantino with former Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan Sen. Portantino with Artsakh’s former State Minister Artak Beglaryan

“We welcome the introduction of the resolution, which sheds light on the suffering of the people of Artsakh, especially POWs, hostages and detainees illegally held captive by the tyrannical regime of Azerbaijan,” said Ruben D. Karapetian, Government Affairs Director of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region.

“The release of all Armenian POWs, hostages, and detainees is paramount and only feasible by holding Azerbaijan and members of the Aliyev regime accountable for its continued violations of international law,” Karapetian added.

In September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a war of territorial expansion against the Armenians of Artsakh that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of over 70 percent of Artsakh territory. Azerbaijan perpetrated widely documented human rights abuses, including the unlawful targeting of schools, homes, hospitals, and churches with prohibited weapons.

For more than eight months, Azerbaijan held 120,000 people under a blockade, in isolation from food, water, medical supplies, fuel, electricity, and other basic needs. Following the illegal blockade, the Armenians of Artsakh endured a large-scale assault by the genocidal Aliyev regime in September 2023, resulting in the forced exodus of more than 100,000 people.

Currently, dozens of Armenian prisoners remain in Azerbaijani custody, with over 80 Armenian soldiers and civilians still missing. Additionally, Azerbaijan has held eight former military and political leaders of Artsakh captive since September 2023. According to the Third Geneva Convention, to which Azerbaijan is a signatory, the release of POWs and captured civilians upon the cessation of hostilities is required. Azerbaijan has still not fulfilled its international legal obligations.

SJR 11 calls on the Biden Administration to urge Azerbaijan to immediately return all Armenian POWs, hostages, and other detained persons. It also calls on Biden to impose Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act violations on Azerbaijan for the illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Armenian POWs and hostages.

2024 Oratorical Middle School Contestants and Judges

The Armenian Educational Foundation’s Fifth Annual Oratorical Contest drew in over 150 supporters on January 27 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, in Los Angeles, California. This year’s Oratorical Contest was held in collaboration with the UCLA Center for World Languages.

Representatives from eight local Armenian schools competed in both English and Armenian in the Middle School and High School Contests. The participating schools included:

• A.G.B.U. Manoogian-Demirdjian School;
• Armenian Mesrobian School;
• Armenian Sisters’ Academy;
• C & E Merdinian Evangelical School;
• Chamlian Armenian School;
• Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School;
• Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School;
• Sahag Mesrob Armenian Christian School.

This year’s competition covered a wide array of topics, including the connection between community and longevity, the influence of an Armenian role model, the impact of a non-profit organization in Armenia, and the effects of instant gratification on society. The judging criteria were based on the American Legion National Oratorical Contest guidelines.

The professional experience of the panel of judges encompassed a variety of backgrounds, including education, language, law, broadcast journalism, digital media, and film.

The distinguished judges for the middle school competition were:

• Alex Bastian, Esq. (President & CEO, Hotel Council of San Francisco);
• Tereza Hovhannisyan (Lecturer of Eastern Armenian Language, UCLA Near Eastern Languages & Cultures Department);
• Zaven Keuroghlian (Co-Founder & CEO, Zartonk Media);
• Sev Ohanian (Screenwriter & Film Producer);
• Dr. Shant Shekherdemian (Associate Professor of Surgery & Interim Chief of Pediatric Surgery, UCLA, Associate Director for Healthcare Outreach, UCLA Promise Armenian Institute);
• Vruir Tadevosian (TV Host & Journalist, Horizon Armenian TV).

2024 Oratorical High School Contestants and Judges

The distinguished judges for the high school competition were:

• Armine Amiryan (Head of News, USArmenia TV);
• Dr. Hagop Gulludjian (Kachigian Senior Lecturer of Armenian Language & Culture, UCLA Near Eastern Languages & Cultures Department);
• Ani Hovannisian Kevorkian (Documentary Filmmaker);
• Araksya Karapetian (News Anchor, FOX 11/Good Day LA);
• Dr. Lilit Keshishyan (Project Director, USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies, Lecturer, USC Writing Program);
• Gegham Mughnetsyan (Chitjian Researcher Archivist, USC Dornsife Institute of Armenian Studies).

Teni Karapetian, Director of Film Publicity at Netflix, acted as Mistress of Ceremonies of the Middle School Contest while Haig Boyadjian, Vice President of Development at the Children of Armenia Fund, was the Master of Ceremonies for the High School Contest.

The winners of the 2024 AEF Oratorical Middle School Contest were Arpa Bostanian (6th grade) representing Armenian Sisters’ Academy for the Armenian language competition, and Harout Karadanaian (8th grade) from A.G.B.U. Manoogian-Demirdjian School for the English language contest. The 2024 AEF Oratorical High School Contest winners, who received the Richard G. Hovannisian Scholarship, were Natelle Ezadjian (10th grade) representing Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School for the Armenian language contest, and Narod Ekmekjian (11th grade) from Armenian Mesrobian School for the English language contest. Each winner was awarded with a $1,000 prize.

Sev Ohanian remarked, “I was absolutely blown away by the exceptional caliber and passion exhibited by all of the students. It was an honor to witness such brilliance, and I am truly grateful for AEF for the work they do to tirelessly nurture and elevate our community’s educational landscape.”

Dr. Lilit Keshishyan commented, “It was an absolute pleasure judging the AEF Oratorical Contest. Events like these showcase not only the eloquence and confidence of the students sharing their ideas, but also the organizations, teachers, and parents that empower them. The energy in the room was inspiring.”

AEF’s purpose in hosting the Oratorical Contest is to promote public speaking in Armenian youth, with the hope of encouraging and shaping a future generation of leaders, motivators and influencers who can become a positive force and promote progress within their community.

For more information on the Armenian Educational Foundation or to donate online, please visit the website.

NATO's Caucasus envoy Javier Colomina during a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Jan. 19

Russia on Wednesday warned Yerevan that its recent efforts to forge close relations with NATO and the West might not yield the desired results, saying history has shown that those seeking rapprochement with NATO risk losing their sovereignty and independence.

The Russian reaction was a direct response to NATO’s Caucasus representative Javeier Colomina, who in an interview with Armenpress’ Lilit Gasparyan said he was encouraged by Armenia’s decision to seek closer ties with the security alliance.

“We are very encouraged by the decisions that Armenia has decided to take in their foreign policy and defense policy, the shift they have decided to implement,” Colomina said, calling his trip to Yerevan on January 19 a success.

The NATO representative said Armenia’s decision to become closer with NATO “is difficult to implement and will probably take a long time, but, of course, we encourage our partners to get closer to us, and that is what Armenia is doing.”

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing on Wednesday that Yerevan’s “rapprochement” with NATO can have troubling consequences for Armenia.

“We have already seen what a rapprochement with NATO has led to for many countries: involvement in conflicts, loss of sovereignty and independence, being forced to submit to the will of a foreign nation in all senses of the word and in all spheres, and most importantly, the lack of opportunity to realize one’s own national interests,” said Zakharova.

“Probably, here we should start from the basic realities, and assess what the national interests of each country, particularly of Armenia, are,” Zakharova added. “We should probably analyze that, we should probably open the map, we should look at which region and between which neighbors that country is located.”

Moscow’s unusually quick response to the NATO representative signals that the Russian government is more concerned about Yerevan’s westward tilt than it has suggested in public statements.

Zakharova underscored that NATO and the United States are not trustworthy allies and said historically those nations that have forged alliances with them have wound up on the losing side, because, she said, “I haven’t seen any examples in the last 30 to 40 years” of NATO or the U.S. fulfilling the promises they make to those allied nations.

In his interview with Armenpress, Colomina said that NATO considers Russia a threat, adding that Russia “already made a strategic mistake invading Ukraine. And they need to understand that NATO will be ready to defend every inch of our territory.”