I introduced the Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act in the House, which includes several important provisions that will hold Azerbaijan accountable for Aliyev's horrific atrocities committed against Armenians in Artsakh.
https://t.co/bN8nZX1Hyn
I will share these facts about #Artsakh (formerly #NagornoKarabakh ) until every politician, #journalist , activist gets it right.
#Russia annexed Artsakh at the conclusion of the Russian-Persian War of 1804-1813.
Renamed by Soviets as “Nagorno Karabakh” more than a century later, Artsakh has long been an integral part of Armenia. That fact is traceable to the 9th century B.C.E. Today, Artsakh remains nearly 100 percent populated by ethnic #Armenians .
The Armenian Genocide of 1915 saw the Ottoman Turks exterminate 1.5 million Armenians from their ancestral homeland. A few years later, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin gave the newly formed Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic a sinister gift.
Azerbaijan as a ‘territory’ was established in 1918, for 2 years, before it became part of the Soviet Union in 1920, and its body of law for 70 years was soviet legislation. Even in that short period of Azerbaijan's existence, Artsakh was not part of it. In fact, the League of Nations, the predecessor of the United Nations, rejected Azerbaijan's application for membership because of the inconsistency of its borders and lack of clarity on its actual territory. Azerbaijan at the time had claims over Artsakh, but Artsakh in that period was a sovereign entity.
Responding to economic blackmail from oil-rich Azerbaijan as well as Turkish threats of aggression, Stalin thumbed his nose at international law and his own country’s Bureau of the Communist Party, which – just a day earlier – had confirmed Artsakh’s rightful status as part of Armenia. In 1921, Stalin placed Artsakh under Azerbaijani control.
For seventy years, the Armenians of Artsakh under Azerbaijan’s rule, were subject to oppression, discrimination, violence, and brutality. But Armenians’ complaints to the Russian communist government, the parent power charged with ensuring the wellbeing of all Soviet citizens, fell on deaf ears.
The current phase of the Artsakh conflict began in 1988. In response to the self-determination claims of Artsakh’s people, Azerbaijani authorities organized massacres of the Armenians of Artsakh. Ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population began to be inflicted across Artsakh and across the border throughout the entirety of Azerbaijan, particularly in Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad. Over 30,000 Armenians were massacred in the pogroms.
On December 10, 1991, the population of Artsakh declared the establishment of the Artsakh Republic by plebiscite. Taking care to fully comply with both international law and globally accepted democratic norms as well as the letter and spirit of the USSR’s own laws of that time, the act was widely seen as legally binding. Thus, on the territory of the former Azerbaijani SSR two equal states were created: Artsakh Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
But Azerbaijani officials fumed and immediately declared war on Artsakh. The ensuing attack by Azerbaijan resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Then, in May,1994 Azerbaijan, Artsakh, and Armenia signed a ceasefire. The parties entered into negotiations to settle the conflict. Overcoming Azerbaijani intransigence seemed impossible at first. Finally, in 1991, under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, led by Russia, France, and the United States, the "Paris Principles" were agreed to and formalized in the Key West document.
In the fall of 2020, the world was distracted by Covid-19, and the US was further preoccupied by the presidential election. Less than a year after the US House of Representatives and the Senate recognized the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks, who killed 1.5 million Armenians in their ancestral land – on September 27, 2020 – Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey, orchestrated a new genocidal attack and ethnic cleansing against the civilian population of Artsakh.
https://t.co/NODnsAQDT2…
Grateful to my interns Gianluca, @PascuzziLuca & Anaida for an amazing summer.
I know they will continue to reach new heights.
Thanks for working so hard and making a positive difference in our office and government.
Best of luck as you go #BackToSchool!
As a descendant of the Armenian Genocide that occurred a century ago, I find the unfolding situation in #artsakh horrifying and inhumane. https://t.co/iz4OGsIDN2 Armenians face genocide in Azerbaijan, former ICC prosecutor warns
Merry Christmas from the Holy Trinity Armenian Church of Toronto, and to all of the Armenian community celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ today. May the Christmas season bring hope & joy into your lives.
Shnorhavor Surb Tsnund!
Our Congressional delegation traveled to Armenia to send a clear message: America proudly supports Armenia's democracy and security and a peaceful Caucasus region.
Check out this video of our historic visit to Yerevan, Armenia.
Deeply concerned by reports of Azerbaijani attacks on Armenian territory. Shelling Armenian towns & innocent civilians is illegal & unacceptable. The world must stand up to authoritarian brutality. The US must end all security assistance to Azerbaijan now.
Azerbaijan has reportedly shelled the homes of innocent civilians in Artsakh and is now attacking Armenia’s border.
An egregious violation of the ceasefire and direct attack on Armenia’s sovereignty.
The U.S. must halt all assistance to Azerbaijan - immediately and permanently.
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has released a new Red Flag Alert for Genocide for #Azerbaijan. We condemn the continued hate speech, threats, & atrocities committed against #Armenian people and cultural heritage in #Artsakh & beyond. https://t.co/6kzX951qf9
We love when we get the chance to show our fantastic @KWizCom team to the world! Meet Sara! Sara is one of our amazing team members here at KWizCom managing many of our valued customer accounts day in and day out. We appreciate the work she does for us every day!
@Microsoft#M365