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KARABAKH FOREIGN MINISTER AT CONGRESSIONAL COMMEMORATION OF SUMGAIT AND BAKU MASSACRES
asbarez
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
Karabakh Foreign Minister Georgi Petrossian
WASHINGTON-Nagorno Karabakh Republic Foreign Minister Georgi Petrossian
joined with members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus Monday evening
at a Capitol Hill remembrance honoring the victims of the Azerbaijani
pogroms in Sumgait and Baku, reported the Armenian National Committee
of America.
"In marking this solemn occasion, we are reminded of the terrible
costs of Azerbaijan's aggression for all the peoples of the region. We
draw from this remembrance an added measure of devotion to defending
the hard-earned liberty enjoyed today by the free citizens of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "Sadly, the Aliyev neo-monarchy running Azerbaijan shares
neither our commitment to peace nor our devotion to democracy, and
- with little protest from the U.S. government - has openly opted
-through its vast military build-up, threatening and hateful rhetoric,
and outright acts of aggression - for a path toward renewed war."
Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Elliot
Engel (D-NY) and Brad Sherman (D-CA) joined in commemorating the
Azerbaijani attacks against Armenians in Sumgait in 1988 and Baku in
1990, which set the stage for over two decades of Azerbaijani violence
against Armenia and Karabakh. Rep. Engel explained that "Whether it is
massacres in Sumgait or Baku or any place else, or whether it is the
Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire, it's something
that we have to always remember and always recall and never forget it
and teach it to our children and teach it to our children's children
- so that things like this will never happen again and tyrants will
know that we can't sweep things like this under the rug."
Rep. Frank Pallone Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone
concurred, noting that "those who say that somehow not talking about
the Genocide is a good thing need to be reminded that it is not in
the past for Armenians and it is not in the past for the victims of
genocide." Rep.
Eshoo focused on the important role Armenian Americans play in ensuring
not only that the Sumgait and Baku pogroms are not forgotten but in
securing a strong U.S.-Armenia relationship. "We have our work cut
out for us in Congress - and that work is to ensure that Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh maintain our full and robust support. That is
something that is not a given. We have to fight for that. We have to
earn that support. We have a lot of new members of Congress now and
they need to be educated as well. That means keeping the pressure on
Azerbaijan through the Freedom Support Act, even as two presidents
have waived that."
Foreign Minister Petrossian, noting that he wished he could address
attendees on a happier occasion than one marking the tragedies of
Sumgait, Baku and Maragha, stated, "On February 20, 1988, the people
of Karabakh expressed their will, and utilizing the relevant legal
framework, petitioned the Soviet authorities of the time to resolve
the Karabakh issue. The events in Sumgait took place exactly eight
days later. To this day, Azerbaijan argues that Sumgait and Baku were
a chapter in their struggle for independence from the Soviet Union
and that Armenians were somehow hindering that effort. The Bible
says that there is no secret which can be hidden permanently, and God
willing, the truth and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes will
one day be brought to light and justice." The Foreign Minister went
on to explain that the Sumgait massacres were the beginnings of broad
ethnic cleansing efforts in Azerbaijan that the Azerbaijani government
intended to extend to Karabakh as well. "Every person, every nation,
has the right to live free; every person, every nation has the right
to defend itself," noted Petrossian. "The people of Karabakh asserted
that right - that God-given right - and will never give it up."
Earlier in the day, Minister Petrossian had an opportunity to meet
with regional experts at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS), where he discussed the current status of the Karabakh
peace process.
Representatives Anna Eshoo and John Engel In his remarks, Armenian
Ambassador Tatoul Markarian decried Azerbaijani Government efforts
to subvert the truth regarding the massacres in Sumgait and Baku -
spending millions internationally to advance their distorted view of
history. "Inspired by oil revenues, exploiting our constructiveness,
our focus on negotiations, the Azeris have unleashed an entire
propaganda war, trying to buy international loyalty, revise history
and create a favorable atmosphere for themselves," noted Markarian,
who pledged increased efforts worldwide to bring the truth to light
about the Azerbaijani crimes against the Armenian people.
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate of the Eastern Diocese
of the Armenian Church of North America, thanked the Congressional
organizers of the event and offered a closing prayer.
Participants viewed a moving video presentation detailing the events
of the Sumgait pogroms at the beginning of the program, which was
organized by the Congressional Armenian Caucus, in cooperation with
the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, Office of the Nagorno Karabakh
Representative in the U.S., along with the Armenian National Committee
of America and the Armenian Assembly of America.
Days earlier, the Greater Washington DC area Armenian Youth Federation
had teamed up with the St. Mary's Armenian Church Youth Organization
in holding a protest in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy in memory
of the victims of Sumgait and Baku pogroms and calling attention
to Azerbaijan's ongoing threats and aggression against Armenia and
Karabakh. Similar protests and vigils have been held in capitals
around the world including Ottawa, Athens, Moscow, Armenia, and the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, among others.
On the evening of February 27, 1988, a three-day rampage against
Armenian civilians living in Sumgait, Soviet Azerbaijan began.
Armenian civilians, whose calls for help from police were ignored,
were at the mercy of Azerbaijani rioters, who murdered, raped, and
maimed Armenians, throwing women and children from windows and burning
victims alive, as Azerbaijani authorities watched for three days,
even though the capital Baku was only a half hour away. Reports from
the Financial Times and New York Times noted Armenians being "hunted"
down and killed in their homes. A review of the events of Sumgait
and Baku massacres, as well as the U.S. response, is available on
the ANCA fact sheet.
Video and photos from the event are posted on the ANCA website
From: A. Papazian
asbarez
Tuesday, March 1st, 2011
Karabakh Foreign Minister Georgi Petrossian
WASHINGTON-Nagorno Karabakh Republic Foreign Minister Georgi Petrossian
joined with members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus Monday evening
at a Capitol Hill remembrance honoring the victims of the Azerbaijani
pogroms in Sumgait and Baku, reported the Armenian National Committee
of America.
"In marking this solemn occasion, we are reminded of the terrible
costs of Azerbaijan's aggression for all the peoples of the region. We
draw from this remembrance an added measure of devotion to defending
the hard-earned liberty enjoyed today by the free citizens of
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic," said ANCA Executive Director Aram
Hamparian. "Sadly, the Aliyev neo-monarchy running Azerbaijan shares
neither our commitment to peace nor our devotion to democracy, and
- with little protest from the U.S. government - has openly opted
-through its vast military build-up, threatening and hateful rhetoric,
and outright acts of aggression - for a path toward renewed war."
Representatives Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Elliot
Engel (D-NY) and Brad Sherman (D-CA) joined in commemorating the
Azerbaijani attacks against Armenians in Sumgait in 1988 and Baku in
1990, which set the stage for over two decades of Azerbaijani violence
against Armenia and Karabakh. Rep. Engel explained that "Whether it is
massacres in Sumgait or Baku or any place else, or whether it is the
Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire, it's something
that we have to always remember and always recall and never forget it
and teach it to our children and teach it to our children's children
- so that things like this will never happen again and tyrants will
know that we can't sweep things like this under the rug."
Rep. Frank Pallone Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone
concurred, noting that "those who say that somehow not talking about
the Genocide is a good thing need to be reminded that it is not in
the past for Armenians and it is not in the past for the victims of
genocide." Rep.
Eshoo focused on the important role Armenian Americans play in ensuring
not only that the Sumgait and Baku pogroms are not forgotten but in
securing a strong U.S.-Armenia relationship. "We have our work cut
out for us in Congress - and that work is to ensure that Armenia
and Nagorno Karabakh maintain our full and robust support. That is
something that is not a given. We have to fight for that. We have to
earn that support. We have a lot of new members of Congress now and
they need to be educated as well. That means keeping the pressure on
Azerbaijan through the Freedom Support Act, even as two presidents
have waived that."
Foreign Minister Petrossian, noting that he wished he could address
attendees on a happier occasion than one marking the tragedies of
Sumgait, Baku and Maragha, stated, "On February 20, 1988, the people
of Karabakh expressed their will, and utilizing the relevant legal
framework, petitioned the Soviet authorities of the time to resolve
the Karabakh issue. The events in Sumgait took place exactly eight
days later. To this day, Azerbaijan argues that Sumgait and Baku were
a chapter in their struggle for independence from the Soviet Union
and that Armenians were somehow hindering that effort. The Bible
says that there is no secret which can be hidden permanently, and God
willing, the truth and the perpetrators of these heinous crimes will
one day be brought to light and justice." The Foreign Minister went
on to explain that the Sumgait massacres were the beginnings of broad
ethnic cleansing efforts in Azerbaijan that the Azerbaijani government
intended to extend to Karabakh as well. "Every person, every nation,
has the right to live free; every person, every nation has the right
to defend itself," noted Petrossian. "The people of Karabakh asserted
that right - that God-given right - and will never give it up."
Earlier in the day, Minister Petrossian had an opportunity to meet
with regional experts at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies (CSIS), where he discussed the current status of the Karabakh
peace process.
Representatives Anna Eshoo and John Engel In his remarks, Armenian
Ambassador Tatoul Markarian decried Azerbaijani Government efforts
to subvert the truth regarding the massacres in Sumgait and Baku -
spending millions internationally to advance their distorted view of
history. "Inspired by oil revenues, exploiting our constructiveness,
our focus on negotiations, the Azeris have unleashed an entire
propaganda war, trying to buy international loyalty, revise history
and create a favorable atmosphere for themselves," noted Markarian,
who pledged increased efforts worldwide to bring the truth to light
about the Azerbaijani crimes against the Armenian people.
Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocesan Legate of the Eastern Diocese
of the Armenian Church of North America, thanked the Congressional
organizers of the event and offered a closing prayer.
Participants viewed a moving video presentation detailing the events
of the Sumgait pogroms at the beginning of the program, which was
organized by the Congressional Armenian Caucus, in cooperation with
the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, Office of the Nagorno Karabakh
Representative in the U.S., along with the Armenian National Committee
of America and the Armenian Assembly of America.
Days earlier, the Greater Washington DC area Armenian Youth Federation
had teamed up with the St. Mary's Armenian Church Youth Organization
in holding a protest in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy in memory
of the victims of Sumgait and Baku pogroms and calling attention
to Azerbaijan's ongoing threats and aggression against Armenia and
Karabakh. Similar protests and vigils have been held in capitals
around the world including Ottawa, Athens, Moscow, Armenia, and the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic, among others.
On the evening of February 27, 1988, a three-day rampage against
Armenian civilians living in Sumgait, Soviet Azerbaijan began.
Armenian civilians, whose calls for help from police were ignored,
were at the mercy of Azerbaijani rioters, who murdered, raped, and
maimed Armenians, throwing women and children from windows and burning
victims alive, as Azerbaijani authorities watched for three days,
even though the capital Baku was only a half hour away. Reports from
the Financial Times and New York Times noted Armenians being "hunted"
down and killed in their homes. A review of the events of Sumgait
and Baku massacres, as well as the U.S. response, is available on
the ANCA fact sheet.
Video and photos from the event are posted on the ANCA website
From: A. Papazian