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Armenian Assembly of America News
1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://armenianassembly.tumblr.com/
U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairmen `Speak Out' About Azerbaijan's Declining
Human Rights Record, Call on President Obama to Appoint Special Envoy to
Nagorno Karabakh
By Taniel Koushakjian
July 2, 2014
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recently
concluded their annual Parliamentary Assembly meeting, held this year in
Baku, Azerbaijan. The OSCE-PA consisted of approximately 300 Members of
Parliament from over 50 participating member states from June 28 - July 2,
including U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ),
Chairman and Co-Chair, respectively, of the U.S. OSCE Helsinki Commission.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Khadija Ismayilova
in Baku, Sen. Cardin noted that `Azerbaijan has a strategic partnership
with the United States" in dealing with international security issues, but
added that Washington will continue to raise human rights and press freedom
concerns with the Azerbaijani government. `When it comes to the last
presidential election [in Azerbaijan], it was not rated to be `free and
fair,'' Cardin said, stressing that Azerbaijan has =80=9Cserious issues' when
dealing with opposition political parties. Also, regarding the Azerbaijan
government's 2009 ban on radio broadcasts by RFE/RL, British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC), and Voice of America (VOA) in Azerbaijan, Cardin said
that `We [the U.S.] continue to speak out about that,' before Ismaliyova
finished her question. `We want an open media... open internet,' he said,
calling the Azerbaijan government's actions as potentially violating the
`basic rights that the people of Azerbaijan deserve.'
In a separate interview with Ismayilova, Rep. Smith stressed the urgency of
resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and called on President Obama to
appoint a special envoy to usher in a breakthrough in the now 20 year-old
negotiations. Smith said he suggested in Baku that a `very high-profile,
international personage' be `tasked' with seeking a resolution to the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Smith cited President George W. Bush's
appointment of a special envoy to Sudan and President Clinton's appointment
of a special envoy in Ireland as examples of the `high-level personal
interest by the President of the United States,' that helped bring
about a
resolution in those conflicts. Smith said that President Obama `could play
that role,' if he appointed a special envoy, warning that `this could break
out into a very hot war, very quickly.'
Full transcripts of the interviews are available below.
Mariam Pashayan, Peter Kechichian and Gevorg Shahbazyan contributed to
this report.
###
Khadija Ismayilova, RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service, Interview with U.S.
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) in Baku, Azerbaijan
Published June 30, 2014
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD): Azerbaijan has a strategic partnership with the
United States dealing with security issues. Their cooperation in Iran and
Afghanistan is important. Their energy policies are important, but when it
comes to the last presidential election it was not rated to be `free and
fair.' They have serious issues as to how they treat the opposition. So
there are human rights issues that we have raised, and continue to raise,
as a friend, trying to get the type of improvements we think would be
beneficial to Azerbaijan and help in regards to their relationship with
other countries.
Khadija Ismayilova: Radio Free Europe, among other foreign radios, BBC and
Voice of America, is banned on local frequencies in Azerbaijan-
Senator Ben Cardin: And we speak out against that. We want to open media,
open coverage, open internet, all that we believe are basic rights that the
people of Azerbaijan deserve.
Khadija Ismayilova: There are journalists and bloggers in prison and
election monitors-
Senator Ben Cardin: We have spoken up about that also. We have spoken out
about areas that we think need to be improved.
Khadija Ismayilova, RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service, Interview with U.S. Rep.
Chris Smith (R-NJ) in Baku, Azerbaijan
Published June 30, 2014
Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ): The two parties, you know, have been poles
apart, and that's always a problem. I have suggested that, in addition to
the Minsk group and the other mechanisms that exist for trying to get a
resolution, that a very high-profile international personage might be
tasked, as we saw with Sudan. Senator Danforth was picked by George Bush
after years of conflict, you know, what something in the order of four
million, two to four million nobody knows the exact number, died in South
Sudan and with Darfur thrown in, huge loss of life. When Senator Danforth
became special envoy for President George W. Bush, he got the parties
together and stayed in that room until they hammered out an agreement and
it's known as the comprehensive peace agreement, the CPA. That would have
not have happened with Bush's extraordinary efforts. The same thing
happened in Northern Ireland where the troubles had killed thousands, the
Protestants and the Catholics couldn't have been poles apart, and in this
case President Clinton tasked another U.S. Senator, former, who got the
parties together, stayed in that room until came and hammered out the Good
Friday agreement. But it took that high-level, personal interest on the
part of the President of the United States, and that's not to say some
other world leader could play that role, but I think the President could
play that role. So a special envoy with the idea of saying let's solve
this, because this could break out into a very hot war very quickly.
Available online at: http://bit.ly/1mUIKZq
1334 G Street, N.W., Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20005
Tel: (202) 393-3434
Fax: (202) 638-4904
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://armenianassembly.tumblr.com/
U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairmen `Speak Out' About Azerbaijan's Declining
Human Rights Record, Call on President Obama to Appoint Special Envoy to
Nagorno Karabakh
By Taniel Koushakjian
July 2, 2014
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recently
concluded their annual Parliamentary Assembly meeting, held this year in
Baku, Azerbaijan. The OSCE-PA consisted of approximately 300 Members of
Parliament from over 50 participating member states from June 28 - July 2,
including U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ),
Chairman and Co-Chair, respectively, of the U.S. OSCE Helsinki Commission.
Speaking to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Khadija Ismayilova
in Baku, Sen. Cardin noted that `Azerbaijan has a strategic partnership
with the United States" in dealing with international security issues, but
added that Washington will continue to raise human rights and press freedom
concerns with the Azerbaijani government. `When it comes to the last
presidential election [in Azerbaijan], it was not rated to be `free and
fair,'' Cardin said, stressing that Azerbaijan has =80=9Cserious issues' when
dealing with opposition political parties. Also, regarding the Azerbaijan
government's 2009 ban on radio broadcasts by RFE/RL, British Broadcasting
Corporation (BBC), and Voice of America (VOA) in Azerbaijan, Cardin said
that `We [the U.S.] continue to speak out about that,' before Ismaliyova
finished her question. `We want an open media... open internet,' he said,
calling the Azerbaijan government's actions as potentially violating the
`basic rights that the people of Azerbaijan deserve.'
In a separate interview with Ismayilova, Rep. Smith stressed the urgency of
resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and called on President Obama to
appoint a special envoy to usher in a breakthrough in the now 20 year-old
negotiations. Smith said he suggested in Baku that a `very high-profile,
international personage' be `tasked' with seeking a resolution to the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Smith cited President George W. Bush's
appointment of a special envoy to Sudan and President Clinton's appointment
of a special envoy in Ireland as examples of the `high-level personal
interest by the President of the United States,' that helped bring
about a
resolution in those conflicts. Smith said that President Obama `could play
that role,' if he appointed a special envoy, warning that `this could break
out into a very hot war, very quickly.'
Full transcripts of the interviews are available below.
Mariam Pashayan, Peter Kechichian and Gevorg Shahbazyan contributed to
this report.
###
Khadija Ismayilova, RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service, Interview with U.S.
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) in Baku, Azerbaijan
Published June 30, 2014
Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD): Azerbaijan has a strategic partnership with the
United States dealing with security issues. Their cooperation in Iran and
Afghanistan is important. Their energy policies are important, but when it
comes to the last presidential election it was not rated to be `free and
fair.' They have serious issues as to how they treat the opposition. So
there are human rights issues that we have raised, and continue to raise,
as a friend, trying to get the type of improvements we think would be
beneficial to Azerbaijan and help in regards to their relationship with
other countries.
Khadija Ismayilova: Radio Free Europe, among other foreign radios, BBC and
Voice of America, is banned on local frequencies in Azerbaijan-
Senator Ben Cardin: And we speak out against that. We want to open media,
open coverage, open internet, all that we believe are basic rights that the
people of Azerbaijan deserve.
Khadija Ismayilova: There are journalists and bloggers in prison and
election monitors-
Senator Ben Cardin: We have spoken up about that also. We have spoken out
about areas that we think need to be improved.
Khadija Ismayilova, RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service, Interview with U.S. Rep.
Chris Smith (R-NJ) in Baku, Azerbaijan
Published June 30, 2014
Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ): The two parties, you know, have been poles
apart, and that's always a problem. I have suggested that, in addition to
the Minsk group and the other mechanisms that exist for trying to get a
resolution, that a very high-profile international personage might be
tasked, as we saw with Sudan. Senator Danforth was picked by George Bush
after years of conflict, you know, what something in the order of four
million, two to four million nobody knows the exact number, died in South
Sudan and with Darfur thrown in, huge loss of life. When Senator Danforth
became special envoy for President George W. Bush, he got the parties
together and stayed in that room until they hammered out an agreement and
it's known as the comprehensive peace agreement, the CPA. That would have
not have happened with Bush's extraordinary efforts. The same thing
happened in Northern Ireland where the troubles had killed thousands, the
Protestants and the Catholics couldn't have been poles apart, and in this
case President Clinton tasked another U.S. Senator, former, who got the
parties together, stayed in that room until came and hammered out the Good
Friday agreement. But it took that high-level, personal interest on the
part of the President of the United States, and that's not to say some
other world leader could play that role, but I think the President could
play that role. So a special envoy with the idea of saying let's solve
this, because this could break out into a very hot war very quickly.
Available online at: http://bit.ly/1mUIKZq