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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/
Congress, Armenian Assembly Condemn Azerbaijan Downing of Armenian
Helicopter in Karabakh
By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant)
AAANews Blog
November 20, 2014
On November 12th, an Azerbaijani military unit stationed near the official
Line of Contact (LOC) shot down an unarmed Nagorno Karabakh (NK) army
helicopter killing all three servicemen aboard. News of the incident was
first reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation and soon went viral
across the Internet.
"The [Armenian] Assembly strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant cease-fire
violation and calls upon the Administration and Congress to take strong
action to ensure the safety and security of Artsakh's citizens," stated
Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny moments after reports reached
Washington.
CONGRESS CONDEMNS AZERBAIJANI ATTACK
The blatant attack on Nagorno Karabakh brought swift rebuke from all over
the world including from Members of the U.S. Congress.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) was quick to
strongly condemn the attack. `The downing of an Armenian helicopter today
is an indefensible aggressive action that threatens to undermine the
fragile ceasefire and plunge the region back into violence,' he said.
`Azerbaijan must immediately cease all such attacks and provocations and
commit to concrete progress in the Minsk Group talks,' Chairman Royce said.
Since a cease-fire was signed in 1994, the Republic of Armenia has sought a
peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group,
co-chaired by the United States, Russia, and France. Both sides are
technically, and legally, still at war with cross-border sniper fire
occurring daily. However, 2014 has claimed more lives than the last twenty
years. This past August, Azerbaijan sent several armed battalions across
the LOC and attempted to penetrate different NK defense positions, the
largest military offensive in the region in decades. Like the August
assault, Azerbaijan's downing of the NK helicopter was the first such
incident since the 1991-1994 NK War. It appears that Azerbaijan's
aggressive tactics, which significantly impact negotiations, have reached a
new level of urgency that requires a strong and unequivocal response.
Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) likewise condemned
the incident. `I am outraged and saddened by the Azerbaijani attack on the
Nagorno Karabakh helicopter engaged in a training flight,' he said. `This
is another instance of aggression by the Azerbaijani government towards
Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia and represents an escalation in their violent
actions that continue to have a destabilizing impact on the region.'
Congressman Pallone, who has travelled to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh on
several occasions and knows the region and its people very well, called on
the White House to step forward. `There is no longer any question that
President Obama must take action to discourage Azerbaijan from pursuing
such violent aggression and to demonstrate our commitment to peace and
stability,' he said. `I encourage President Obama to formally condemn this
deadly attack.'
Furthermore, Rep. Pallone called for the `cessation of any military
assistance to Azerbaijan and the strengthening of section 907 of the
FREEDOM Support Act, which restricts aid to Azerbaijan based on its
aggression toward Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. It is time for both the
President and Congress to ensure that U.S. law once again holds Azerbaijan
accountable for its violent actions,' he stated. `The families of those who
were killed and all of Nagorno Karabakh's citizens remain in my thoughts
and prayers,' Pallone stated.
Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), a rising voice in the Armenian Caucus, also
expressed her dismay at Azerbaijani behavior. `I am deeply troubled by the
latest evidence of Azerbaijan's continued aggression with their attack on
an apparently unarmed helicopter,' she said. `The people in
Nagorno-Karabakh deserve and desire peace, but Azerbaijan's disregard for
the 1994 cease fire threatens both sides with conflict.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), a steadfast defender of NK, rightfully recognized
the need for Azerbaijan to be held `accountable for engaging in violence
and not in peaceful negotiations,' via his Twitter account. Given the
events of this year, and the recent death of three Karabakh pilots, if the
international community, particularly the OSCE, United States, and United
Kingdom, do not directly address Azerbaijani intransigence at the
negotiating table and condemn this military act, then the likelihood of
renewed war in the South Caucasus will near certainty.
STATE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE FALLS SHORT
The incident also caught the attention of the international press corps, as
questions regarding the attack were raised during the State Department
Daily Press Briefing on November 13. Unfortunately, State Department
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki's response fell short of condemning the attack. `I
don't have any analysis of the exact events on the ground,' Psaki said to a
reporter's question. `We've seen the same reports.
There are obviously
comments and claims from both sides, but I don't have any analysis
beyond
that.'
The reporter continued to seek clarification, stating, `Azerbaijan
shooting an Armenian vessel, then it's pretty clear which party is
violating the ceasefire.'
Psaki responded, stating `We understand there are views by both sides, but
I don't have any comment from the U.S. Government on it.'
When a helicopter is shot down and three people are killed it is
difficult to accept that knowledgeable people choose to interpret
these facts as simply `views' shared by `both sides.' The
spokeswoman's frustration at her inability to speak openly about a
blatant attack against an American ally clearly surfaced when
presented with what is referred to in political parlance as a `smoking
gun.'
Available online at: http://bit.ly/1xth8zn
From: A. Papazian
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/
Congress, Armenian Assembly Condemn Azerbaijan Downing of Armenian
Helicopter in Karabakh
By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant)
AAANews Blog
November 20, 2014
On November 12th, an Azerbaijani military unit stationed near the official
Line of Contact (LOC) shot down an unarmed Nagorno Karabakh (NK) army
helicopter killing all three servicemen aboard. News of the incident was
first reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation and soon went viral
across the Internet.
"The [Armenian] Assembly strongly condemns Azerbaijan's blatant cease-fire
violation and calls upon the Administration and Congress to take strong
action to ensure the safety and security of Artsakh's citizens," stated
Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny moments after reports reached
Washington.
CONGRESS CONDEMNS AZERBAIJANI ATTACK
The blatant attack on Nagorno Karabakh brought swift rebuke from all over
the world including from Members of the U.S. Congress.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) was quick to
strongly condemn the attack. `The downing of an Armenian helicopter today
is an indefensible aggressive action that threatens to undermine the
fragile ceasefire and plunge the region back into violence,' he said.
`Azerbaijan must immediately cease all such attacks and provocations and
commit to concrete progress in the Minsk Group talks,' Chairman Royce said.
Since a cease-fire was signed in 1994, the Republic of Armenia has sought a
peaceful resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group,
co-chaired by the United States, Russia, and France. Both sides are
technically, and legally, still at war with cross-border sniper fire
occurring daily. However, 2014 has claimed more lives than the last twenty
years. This past August, Azerbaijan sent several armed battalions across
the LOC and attempted to penetrate different NK defense positions, the
largest military offensive in the region in decades. Like the August
assault, Azerbaijan's downing of the NK helicopter was the first such
incident since the 1991-1994 NK War. It appears that Azerbaijan's
aggressive tactics, which significantly impact negotiations, have reached a
new level of urgency that requires a strong and unequivocal response.
Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) likewise condemned
the incident. `I am outraged and saddened by the Azerbaijani attack on the
Nagorno Karabakh helicopter engaged in a training flight,' he said. `This
is another instance of aggression by the Azerbaijani government towards
Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia and represents an escalation in their violent
actions that continue to have a destabilizing impact on the region.'
Congressman Pallone, who has travelled to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh on
several occasions and knows the region and its people very well, called on
the White House to step forward. `There is no longer any question that
President Obama must take action to discourage Azerbaijan from pursuing
such violent aggression and to demonstrate our commitment to peace and
stability,' he said. `I encourage President Obama to formally condemn this
deadly attack.'
Furthermore, Rep. Pallone called for the `cessation of any military
assistance to Azerbaijan and the strengthening of section 907 of the
FREEDOM Support Act, which restricts aid to Azerbaijan based on its
aggression toward Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. It is time for both the
President and Congress to ensure that U.S. law once again holds Azerbaijan
accountable for its violent actions,' he stated. `The families of those who
were killed and all of Nagorno Karabakh's citizens remain in my thoughts
and prayers,' Pallone stated.
Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), a rising voice in the Armenian Caucus, also
expressed her dismay at Azerbaijani behavior. `I am deeply troubled by the
latest evidence of Azerbaijan's continued aggression with their attack on
an apparently unarmed helicopter,' she said. `The people in
Nagorno-Karabakh deserve and desire peace, but Azerbaijan's disregard for
the 1994 cease fire threatens both sides with conflict.
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), a steadfast defender of NK, rightfully recognized
the need for Azerbaijan to be held `accountable for engaging in violence
and not in peaceful negotiations,' via his Twitter account. Given the
events of this year, and the recent death of three Karabakh pilots, if the
international community, particularly the OSCE, United States, and United
Kingdom, do not directly address Azerbaijani intransigence at the
negotiating table and condemn this military act, then the likelihood of
renewed war in the South Caucasus will near certainty.
STATE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE FALLS SHORT
The incident also caught the attention of the international press corps, as
questions regarding the attack were raised during the State Department
Daily Press Briefing on November 13. Unfortunately, State Department
Spokeswoman Jen Psaki's response fell short of condemning the attack. `I
don't have any analysis of the exact events on the ground,' Psaki said to a
reporter's question. `We've seen the same reports.
There are obviously
comments and claims from both sides, but I don't have any analysis
beyond
that.'
The reporter continued to seek clarification, stating, `Azerbaijan
shooting an Armenian vessel, then it's pretty clear which party is
violating the ceasefire.'
Psaki responded, stating `We understand there are views by both sides, but
I don't have any comment from the U.S. Government on it.'
When a helicopter is shot down and three people are killed it is
difficult to accept that knowledgeable people choose to interpret
these facts as simply `views' shared by `both sides.' The
spokeswoman's frustration at her inability to speak openly about a
blatant attack against an American ally clearly surfaced when
presented with what is referred to in political parlance as a `smoking
gun.'
Available online at: http://bit.ly/1xth8zn
From: A. Papazian