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Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]
www.ancawr.org
PRESS RELEASE December 18, 2013
Contact: Elen Asatryan
Phone: 818.859.2421
Email: [email protected]
City of Highland Reaffirms Its Commitment to its Sister-City Partnership
with Berdzor Despite Attempts by Azerbaijan
HIGHLAND, CA - Under outside pressure from the Consulate of Azerbaijan,
City of Highland Councilmember Jody Scott unsuccessfully attempted on
December 10, 2013, to overturn a previous unanimous Council decision to
establish a sister-city partnership with Berdzor, Nagorno Karabagh. Her
failed effort was overcome by the unwavering leadership displayed by Mayor
Pro Tem Larry McCallon and the remaining councilmembers who valiantly
stayed on course with the partnership despite Azerbaijan's improper attempt
to exert undue foreign influence over our democratic principles and
practices.
`Agents of foreign governments such as the Azeri Consul General have no
business meddling into the affairs of our local governments here in the
United States. The fact that the Azeri Consulate is trying to exert its
influence to thwart our democracy is absolutely unacceptable to us as
Americans, and the fact that a sitting local elected official can succumb
to such foreign pressures is even more disconcerting,' stated ANCA Western
Region Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. `Fortunately, democracy
prevailed as our grassroots base in the area responded to our Action Alert
and mobilized itself. We were proud to have been able to work with Mayor
McCallon and the councilmembers in putting this issue to rest, and we look
forward to providing the necessary assistance and resources to help their
sister-city partnership with Berdzor grow and prosper in the years to
come,' added Yerimyan.
Mayor McCallon presented the resolution after personally traveling to NKR
and witnessing first-hand the commitment of the local Berdzor government
and people to peace, democracy, and economic freedom and development. The
resolution was approved by the Council with a 4-0 unanimous vote on
November 26, 2013, which included Councilmember Scott before she changed
her mind under Azeri influence.
In a scathing letter addressed to City of Highland Councilmembers on
November 27, 2013, the Consulate of Azerbaijan criticized the Council's
decision and attempted to cast doubt by falsely accusing Armenia of ethnic
cleansing against the entire population of Lachin (Berdzor). Additional
letters from the Youth Wing of the New Azerbaijan Party and other citizens
of Azerbaijan also flooded the councilmembers with similar false
propaganda. However, Azerbaijan's attempt failed as councilmembers learned
more about Azerbaijan's past and current human rights violations and
bullying tactics against Armenia and Artsakh.
With less than a day's notice of Councilmember Scott's intentions to
overturn the previous decision, the ANCA Western Region notified residents
in the area of the foreign pressures and activated its base with an Action
Alert that encouraged community members to voice their support for the
sister-city.
The Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) is an integral part of historic
Armenia that was arbitrarily carved out in 1921 by Joseph Stalin and placed
under Soviet Azerbaijani administration, but with autonomous status, as
part of the Soviet divide-and-conquer strategy in the Caucasus. The City of
Berdzor serves as a corridor between Armenia and Artsakh and thus is
strategically vital to the preservation and protection of the Armenian
Nation. Nagorno Karabakh has never been part of an independent Azerbaijani
state, and even declassified Central Intelligence Agency reports confirm
that Nagorno Karabakh is historically Armenian and maintained even more
autonomy than the rest of Armenia through the centuries. On September 2,
1991, the people of Nagorno Karabakh declared independence from the Soviet
Union and became the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. On December 10, 1991,
Nagorno Karabakh held an independence referendum in which 82% of all voters
participated and 99% voted for independence. In response, Azerbaijan
launched an all-out war against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, targeting
civilians and recruiting Islamic extremist mujahideen from Afghanistan and
Chechnya to join the Azerbaijani army against Christian Armenians.
Prior to Azerbaijan's declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union,
from 1988 to 1990, it targeted the Armenian population in racially
motivated pogroms in the cities of Sumgait (February 27-29, 1988),
Kirovabad (November 21-27, 1988) and Baku (January 13-19, 1990). At the
time, Members of Congress condemned these premeditated and
officially-sponsored attacks against Armenian civilians and passed
amendments and resolutions demanding respect for the democratic aspirations
of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.
Despite these irrefutable facts, the Consulate of Azerbaijan and its agents
made false statements about Berdzor and omitted any mention of the history
which led to the declaration of independence by Armenian citizens from
Soviet Azerbaijan. The Azeri agents also failed to disclose that in August
of 2012, the President of Azerbaijan pardoned Ramil Safarov from his life
sentence in prison, for axing to death an Armenian solider during a NATO
Peace and Partnership training mission in Budapest, hailing his return to
Azerbaijan as a national hero.
These facts were not lost upon Mayor McCallon and his councilmembers, as
they admirably chose, true to fundamental American ideals, to support the
aspirations for self-determination by the people of Nagorno Karabakh by
offering sister-city assistance to the democratically elected local
government in Berdzor.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and
affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
###
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918
[email protected]
www.ancawr.org
PRESS RELEASE December 18, 2013
Contact: Elen Asatryan
Phone: 818.859.2421
Email: [email protected]
City of Highland Reaffirms Its Commitment to its Sister-City Partnership
with Berdzor Despite Attempts by Azerbaijan
HIGHLAND, CA - Under outside pressure from the Consulate of Azerbaijan,
City of Highland Councilmember Jody Scott unsuccessfully attempted on
December 10, 2013, to overturn a previous unanimous Council decision to
establish a sister-city partnership with Berdzor, Nagorno Karabagh. Her
failed effort was overcome by the unwavering leadership displayed by Mayor
Pro Tem Larry McCallon and the remaining councilmembers who valiantly
stayed on course with the partnership despite Azerbaijan's improper attempt
to exert undue foreign influence over our democratic principles and
practices.
`Agents of foreign governments such as the Azeri Consul General have no
business meddling into the affairs of our local governments here in the
United States. The fact that the Azeri Consulate is trying to exert its
influence to thwart our democracy is absolutely unacceptable to us as
Americans, and the fact that a sitting local elected official can succumb
to such foreign pressures is even more disconcerting,' stated ANCA Western
Region Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. `Fortunately, democracy
prevailed as our grassroots base in the area responded to our Action Alert
and mobilized itself. We were proud to have been able to work with Mayor
McCallon and the councilmembers in putting this issue to rest, and we look
forward to providing the necessary assistance and resources to help their
sister-city partnership with Berdzor grow and prosper in the years to
come,' added Yerimyan.
Mayor McCallon presented the resolution after personally traveling to NKR
and witnessing first-hand the commitment of the local Berdzor government
and people to peace, democracy, and economic freedom and development. The
resolution was approved by the Council with a 4-0 unanimous vote on
November 26, 2013, which included Councilmember Scott before she changed
her mind under Azeri influence.
In a scathing letter addressed to City of Highland Councilmembers on
November 27, 2013, the Consulate of Azerbaijan criticized the Council's
decision and attempted to cast doubt by falsely accusing Armenia of ethnic
cleansing against the entire population of Lachin (Berdzor). Additional
letters from the Youth Wing of the New Azerbaijan Party and other citizens
of Azerbaijan also flooded the councilmembers with similar false
propaganda. However, Azerbaijan's attempt failed as councilmembers learned
more about Azerbaijan's past and current human rights violations and
bullying tactics against Armenia and Artsakh.
With less than a day's notice of Councilmember Scott's intentions to
overturn the previous decision, the ANCA Western Region notified residents
in the area of the foreign pressures and activated its base with an Action
Alert that encouraged community members to voice their support for the
sister-city.
The Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) is an integral part of historic
Armenia that was arbitrarily carved out in 1921 by Joseph Stalin and placed
under Soviet Azerbaijani administration, but with autonomous status, as
part of the Soviet divide-and-conquer strategy in the Caucasus. The City of
Berdzor serves as a corridor between Armenia and Artsakh and thus is
strategically vital to the preservation and protection of the Armenian
Nation. Nagorno Karabakh has never been part of an independent Azerbaijani
state, and even declassified Central Intelligence Agency reports confirm
that Nagorno Karabakh is historically Armenian and maintained even more
autonomy than the rest of Armenia through the centuries. On September 2,
1991, the people of Nagorno Karabakh declared independence from the Soviet
Union and became the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. On December 10, 1991,
Nagorno Karabakh held an independence referendum in which 82% of all voters
participated and 99% voted for independence. In response, Azerbaijan
launched an all-out war against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, targeting
civilians and recruiting Islamic extremist mujahideen from Afghanistan and
Chechnya to join the Azerbaijani army against Christian Armenians.
Prior to Azerbaijan's declaration of Independence from the Soviet Union,
from 1988 to 1990, it targeted the Armenian population in racially
motivated pogroms in the cities of Sumgait (February 27-29, 1988),
Kirovabad (November 21-27, 1988) and Baku (January 13-19, 1990). At the
time, Members of Congress condemned these premeditated and
officially-sponsored attacks against Armenian civilians and passed
amendments and resolutions demanding respect for the democratic aspirations
of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.
Despite these irrefutable facts, the Consulate of Azerbaijan and its agents
made false statements about Berdzor and omitted any mention of the history
which led to the declaration of independence by Armenian citizens from
Soviet Azerbaijan. The Azeri agents also failed to disclose that in August
of 2012, the President of Azerbaijan pardoned Ramil Safarov from his life
sentence in prison, for axing to death an Armenian solider during a NATO
Peace and Partnership training mission in Budapest, hailing his return to
Azerbaijan as a national hero.
These facts were not lost upon Mayor McCallon and his councilmembers, as
they admirably chose, true to fundamental American ideals, to support the
aspirations for self-determination by the people of Nagorno Karabakh by
offering sister-city assistance to the democratically elected local
government in Berdzor.
The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest
and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in
the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and
affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.
###