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CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS TURN ATTENTION FROM STATE TO CAUCASUS REGION
Los Angeles Times, CA
May 6 2014
by Melanie Mason
tate lawmakers Monday briefly turned their attention from California
to the Caucasus region as an Assembly panel approved a measure
touching on a long-standing geopolitical feud between Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
At issue is Nagorno-Karabakh, a semiautonomous territory within
Azerbaijan's borders but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. A
resolution by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) expresses support
for Nagorno-Karabakh's independence -- a departure from U.S. foreign
policy, which considers the region to be part of Azerbaijan. For
decades, the two countries have disputed the region, and international
negotiations have stalled.
Gatto, speaking before the Assembly Rules Committee, said the measure
was a "a simple item ... an expression of support for a people who have
embraced our own American values of democracy and self-determination."
But the thorniness of the conflict was apparent in the vastly
conflicting accounts from Armenians and Azerbaijanis who attended the
hearing. The room was packed with members of the respective
communities -- who generally sat on opposite sides of the room -- as
witnesses alternately cast Nagorno-Karabakh's independence movement as
a legitimate aspiration for freedom or an undemocratic land grab.
"As Americans, we have a moral imperative grounded in our own
courageous history to protect human rights even if they are half a
world away," said Nora Hovspepian, chair of the Armenian National
Committee of America-Western Region, speaking in favor of the measure.
But Dr. Ismail Rustamov, president of the Azerbaijani-American
Council, said the resolution was "extremely biased and factually
incorrect."
"Does the author realize that the adoption of this resolution will
damage a peaceful settlement of the conflict? Does he wish to create a
war?" Rustamov asked.
The measure is a symbolic one, conveying the Legislature's backing of
Nagorno-Karabakh's independence to President Obama and Congress. But
the resolution -- versions of which have been passed in a few other
states such as Louisiana and Rhode Island -- diverges from the State
Department at a particularly sensitive time, given the upheaval in
eastern Ukraine.
Thomas de Waal, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, said the Legislature taking on this issue was
"certainly strange -- a state Assembly making its own ruling on U.S.
government foreign policy because of the pressure of local politics in
the shape of a diaspora Armenian community."
California -- and particularly Gatto's district -- is home to a large
Armenian American population.
De Waal, an expert on the South Caucasus region, said it was unlikely
the resolution could affect U.S. diplomacy on the issue, but added:
"If it is unhelpful, it is because it feeds into Azerbaijani paranoia
about the Armenian lobby, which is exaggerated."
In an interview, Gatto acknowledged that wading into geopolitical
conflicts could be fraught.
"I really, really wrestled with whether this was an appropriate action
by the California Legislature," Gatto said. But he noted that state
lawmakers occasionally wade into international affairs, such as voting
in favor of divestment from South Africa during the apartheid era and
condemning Russia's treatment of gay people in advance of the Sochi
Winter Olympics.
"Every once in a while, when there's an issue of moral importance,
it's appropriate for California to weigh in on foreign policy," he
said.
Assemblyman Rocky J. Chavez (R-Oceanside) was wary of the measure's
wording, which supports the self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"It's nice that we talk about self-determination, but if we actually
practice self-determination, you find us involved in all kinds" of
regional conflicts, he said. "There are great implications that we're
talking about. We, in this body, should stay within our circle of
influence."
Chavez was the only no vote on the panel; Assemblyman Curt Hagman
(R-Chino Hills) abstained.
"I have serious trepidation about California's state Assembly engaging
in international issues," said Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park), the
committee chairman. But he said he voted yes because "there ought to
be an opportunity for a discussion about whether or not we should be
engaging in these kinds of issues to occur on the [Assembly] floor."
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-nagorno-karabakh-20140506-story.html
From: A. Papazian
Los Angeles Times, CA
May 6 2014
by Melanie Mason
tate lawmakers Monday briefly turned their attention from California
to the Caucasus region as an Assembly panel approved a measure
touching on a long-standing geopolitical feud between Armenia and
Azerbaijan.
At issue is Nagorno-Karabakh, a semiautonomous territory within
Azerbaijan's borders but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. A
resolution by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) expresses support
for Nagorno-Karabakh's independence -- a departure from U.S. foreign
policy, which considers the region to be part of Azerbaijan. For
decades, the two countries have disputed the region, and international
negotiations have stalled.
Gatto, speaking before the Assembly Rules Committee, said the measure
was a "a simple item ... an expression of support for a people who have
embraced our own American values of democracy and self-determination."
But the thorniness of the conflict was apparent in the vastly
conflicting accounts from Armenians and Azerbaijanis who attended the
hearing. The room was packed with members of the respective
communities -- who generally sat on opposite sides of the room -- as
witnesses alternately cast Nagorno-Karabakh's independence movement as
a legitimate aspiration for freedom or an undemocratic land grab.
"As Americans, we have a moral imperative grounded in our own
courageous history to protect human rights even if they are half a
world away," said Nora Hovspepian, chair of the Armenian National
Committee of America-Western Region, speaking in favor of the measure.
But Dr. Ismail Rustamov, president of the Azerbaijani-American
Council, said the resolution was "extremely biased and factually
incorrect."
"Does the author realize that the adoption of this resolution will
damage a peaceful settlement of the conflict? Does he wish to create a
war?" Rustamov asked.
The measure is a symbolic one, conveying the Legislature's backing of
Nagorno-Karabakh's independence to President Obama and Congress. But
the resolution -- versions of which have been passed in a few other
states such as Louisiana and Rhode Island -- diverges from the State
Department at a particularly sensitive time, given the upheaval in
eastern Ukraine.
Thomas de Waal, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace, said the Legislature taking on this issue was
"certainly strange -- a state Assembly making its own ruling on U.S.
government foreign policy because of the pressure of local politics in
the shape of a diaspora Armenian community."
California -- and particularly Gatto's district -- is home to a large
Armenian American population.
De Waal, an expert on the South Caucasus region, said it was unlikely
the resolution could affect U.S. diplomacy on the issue, but added:
"If it is unhelpful, it is because it feeds into Azerbaijani paranoia
about the Armenian lobby, which is exaggerated."
In an interview, Gatto acknowledged that wading into geopolitical
conflicts could be fraught.
"I really, really wrestled with whether this was an appropriate action
by the California Legislature," Gatto said. But he noted that state
lawmakers occasionally wade into international affairs, such as voting
in favor of divestment from South Africa during the apartheid era and
condemning Russia's treatment of gay people in advance of the Sochi
Winter Olympics.
"Every once in a while, when there's an issue of moral importance,
it's appropriate for California to weigh in on foreign policy," he
said.
Assemblyman Rocky J. Chavez (R-Oceanside) was wary of the measure's
wording, which supports the self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"It's nice that we talk about self-determination, but if we actually
practice self-determination, you find us involved in all kinds" of
regional conflicts, he said. "There are great implications that we're
talking about. We, in this body, should stay within our circle of
influence."
Chavez was the only no vote on the panel; Assemblyman Curt Hagman
(R-Chino Hills) abstained.
"I have serious trepidation about California's state Assembly engaging
in international issues," said Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park), the
committee chairman. But he said he voted yes because "there ought to
be an opportunity for a discussion about whether or not we should be
engaging in these kinds of issues to occur on the [Assembly] floor."
http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-nagorno-karabakh-20140506-story.html
From: A. Papazian