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WHY DO TWO HAWAII LAWMAKERS CARE SO MUCH ABOUT AZERBAIJAN?
Honolulu Civil Beat
Feb 11 2014
Hawaii lawmakers are inserting themselves into a century-old conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighboring nations nestled between
the Black and Caspian seas at the crossroads of Western Asia and
Eastern Europe.
Reps. Rida Cabanilla and Mark Takai, who traveled to Azerbaijan
together last year on an $8,000 trip that was paid for by the republic,
have co-sponsored legislation that's been set for a hearing Wednesday.
House Resolution 13 recognizes the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly
tragedy which, according to the resolution, involved the slaughter
of hundreds of innocent civilians in Azerbaijan in February 1992.
House Resolution 9 calls on the United States to strengthen its
efforts to facilitate a political settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict.
The first resolution describes the tragedy like this: On Feb. 25 and
26, 1992, "Armenian armed forces accompanied by Russian military troops
occupied the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan and killed more than six
hundred innocent civilians, including many women, children and the
elderly; wounded more than one thousand civilians; and captured more
than one thousand two hundred civilians."
Armenian-Americans and other critics are concerned the two lawmakers
are trying to rewrite history in favor of Azerbaijan.
"It is hard to see how a resolution that distorts history and
contemporary reality in so many ways serves Hawaii's interests,"
Honolulu resident Dawn Webster wrote in her testimony on HR 9.
Webster said she grew interested in the resolutions after talking to
her Armenian daughter-in-law, Ani Martirosian Menon.
"That family connection has made me sensitive to the inappropriateness
of this rather strange resolution and the likelihood that it will be
used to strengthen a false representation of historical facts about
the relationship between Azerbaijan and Armenia," Webster said.
"Given the islands' own history of dispossession and occupation and the
ongoing struggle for sovereignty by Native Hawaiians, the resolution
is at the very least ill-advised and certainly at odds with Hawaii's
culture of aloha."
Cabanilla and Takai went to Azerbaijan in May to attend a convention
sponsored by oil companies and look for opportunities to promote
Hawaii.
Civil Beat reported on the trip after discovering details in gift
disclosure statements the representatives filed with the Ethics
Commission.
Takai said at the time that the trip was ethical because the
Legislature was not addressing relevant issues that would directly
benefit Azerbaijan. He did not return a message seeking comment on
the resolutions Monday.
Cabanilla said the invitation by Azerbaijan came as part of a lobbying
effort to improve the oil-rich nation's alliance with the U.S. She
said she took the trip to try to bring business to Hawaii.
The resolutions came from Elin Suleymano, Azerbaijan's ambassador to
the United States, she said.
Cabanilla, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, said
her military background has taught her the importance of Azerbaijan
as a strategic location for a U.S. ally in the Middle East.
She considers the resolutions to be a harmless form of gratitude
and recognition.
"Maybe (the resolution) is not 100 percent accurate -- I don't know
if it is or not -- but the fact that they're an ally and support
our troops (in the region), they don't have to say anything more
after that," Cabanilla said, explaining her decision to introduce
the legislation.
If Azerbaijan has lobbied to gain recognition for a version of history,
it is in some ways following in the footsteps of Armenia.
Ethnic Armenian communities in the United States, Australia, France,
the United Kingdom and many other countries have lobbied national
governments to gain recognition of the "Armenian genocide" by Turkey
in the early 20th century. Authorities in Turkey continue to deny
that killings and the seizure of Armenian land during the Ottoman
Empire constituted a genocide.
House Resolution 13 describes the Khojaly massacre in Azerbaijan as a
"sobering reminder of the terrible carnage that can be inflicted in
wartime and it exemplifies the enduring need for greater understanding,
communication, and tolerance among people worldwide."
The resolutions are set to have their first hearing Wednesday morning
before the Veterans, Military and International Affairs Committee,
which Takai chairs.
Read Webster's testimony on the resolutions here:
http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2014/02/11/21151-why-do-two-hawaii-lawmakers-care-so-much-about-azerbaijan/
Honolulu Civil Beat
Feb 11 2014
Hawaii lawmakers are inserting themselves into a century-old conflict
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighboring nations nestled between
the Black and Caspian seas at the crossroads of Western Asia and
Eastern Europe.
Reps. Rida Cabanilla and Mark Takai, who traveled to Azerbaijan
together last year on an $8,000 trip that was paid for by the republic,
have co-sponsored legislation that's been set for a hearing Wednesday.
House Resolution 13 recognizes the 22nd anniversary of the Khojaly
tragedy which, according to the resolution, involved the slaughter
of hundreds of innocent civilians in Azerbaijan in February 1992.
House Resolution 9 calls on the United States to strengthen its
efforts to facilitate a political settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict.
The first resolution describes the tragedy like this: On Feb. 25 and
26, 1992, "Armenian armed forces accompanied by Russian military troops
occupied the town of Khojaly in Azerbaijan and killed more than six
hundred innocent civilians, including many women, children and the
elderly; wounded more than one thousand civilians; and captured more
than one thousand two hundred civilians."
Armenian-Americans and other critics are concerned the two lawmakers
are trying to rewrite history in favor of Azerbaijan.
"It is hard to see how a resolution that distorts history and
contemporary reality in so many ways serves Hawaii's interests,"
Honolulu resident Dawn Webster wrote in her testimony on HR 9.
Webster said she grew interested in the resolutions after talking to
her Armenian daughter-in-law, Ani Martirosian Menon.
"That family connection has made me sensitive to the inappropriateness
of this rather strange resolution and the likelihood that it will be
used to strengthen a false representation of historical facts about
the relationship between Azerbaijan and Armenia," Webster said.
"Given the islands' own history of dispossession and occupation and the
ongoing struggle for sovereignty by Native Hawaiians, the resolution
is at the very least ill-advised and certainly at odds with Hawaii's
culture of aloha."
Cabanilla and Takai went to Azerbaijan in May to attend a convention
sponsored by oil companies and look for opportunities to promote
Hawaii.
Civil Beat reported on the trip after discovering details in gift
disclosure statements the representatives filed with the Ethics
Commission.
Takai said at the time that the trip was ethical because the
Legislature was not addressing relevant issues that would directly
benefit Azerbaijan. He did not return a message seeking comment on
the resolutions Monday.
Cabanilla said the invitation by Azerbaijan came as part of a lobbying
effort to improve the oil-rich nation's alliance with the U.S. She
said she took the trip to try to bring business to Hawaii.
The resolutions came from Elin Suleymano, Azerbaijan's ambassador to
the United States, she said.
Cabanilla, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, said
her military background has taught her the importance of Azerbaijan
as a strategic location for a U.S. ally in the Middle East.
She considers the resolutions to be a harmless form of gratitude
and recognition.
"Maybe (the resolution) is not 100 percent accurate -- I don't know
if it is or not -- but the fact that they're an ally and support
our troops (in the region), they don't have to say anything more
after that," Cabanilla said, explaining her decision to introduce
the legislation.
If Azerbaijan has lobbied to gain recognition for a version of history,
it is in some ways following in the footsteps of Armenia.
Ethnic Armenian communities in the United States, Australia, France,
the United Kingdom and many other countries have lobbied national
governments to gain recognition of the "Armenian genocide" by Turkey
in the early 20th century. Authorities in Turkey continue to deny
that killings and the seizure of Armenian land during the Ottoman
Empire constituted a genocide.
House Resolution 13 describes the Khojaly massacre in Azerbaijan as a
"sobering reminder of the terrible carnage that can be inflicted in
wartime and it exemplifies the enduring need for greater understanding,
communication, and tolerance among people worldwide."
The resolutions are set to have their first hearing Wednesday morning
before the Veterans, Military and International Affairs Committee,
which Takai chairs.
Read Webster's testimony on the resolutions here:
http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2014/02/11/21151-why-do-two-hawaii-lawmakers-care-so-much-about-azerbaijan/