Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi joins Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues

August 17, 2017 By administrator

Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) announced that Freshman Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, supporting United States-Armenia relations.

Congressman Krishnamoorthi of Illinois’ 8th District currently serves on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

“It is an honor to have Congressman Krishnamoorthi join the Armenian Caucus. His broad view of the world and respect for history uniquely equips him to play a leading role,” Illinois-based Assembly Board Member Oscar Tatosian said. “His entrepreneurial spirit is the kind of friend Armenia needs,” he added.

Rep. Krishnamoorthi attended the Armenian Genocide Commemoration this past April on Capitol Hill and signed a bipartisan letter to President Donald Trump urging him to reaffirm the Armenian Genocide. The Congressman also issued the following statement commemorating the Genocide: “Today, on the 102nd anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide, we recognize the murder of 1.5 million Armenian men women, and children in the years that followed under the direction of the Ottoman Empire. Despite the truth of this history and the magnitude of these crimes, our government remains one of only three in the world not to recognize the genocide committed against the Armenian people. To deny the Armenian Genocide is to deny the humanity of its victims and the demands of our own.”

In June, Rep. Krishnamoorthi wrote an op-ed in The Hill titled “Did Turkey’s payments to Michael Flynn delay our military operations against ISIS?” where he explained: “Press and public attention have been focused largely on the Trump administration’s relationship with Russia, and there is much to be learned. Questions regarding Turkey, however, reveal most clearly how personal considerations may have overridden our national interests.”

US Congressman Schiff, colleagues support bill banning Turkish investments

June 22, 2017 By administrator

US Congressman Schiff

US Congress member Adam Schiff and nine of his colleagues from California sent a letter to California State Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De León in support of California Assembly Bill 1597, which would divest California’s public pension funds from investment vehicles that are owned, controlled, or managed by the Turkish government.

“California has acted in the past to prohibit new investments by its pension funds in sectors that are inimical to our state’s values, such as the 2015 state law mandating divestment from coal companies,” the Congress members wrote in the letter. “The narrowly drafted AB 1597 proposal is an appropriate use of that authority, blocking future investments directly owned by the Turkish Government, such as government bonds.”

“Given the recent assault on peaceful protestors in Washington, D.C. by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal security forces, as well as Turkey’s continued denial of the Armenian Genocide, divestment by California is an appropriate response,” the Congress members also wrote.

US Former congressman Dan Burton quits promoting Azerbaijan’s interests in U.S.

March 9, 2016 By administrator

207722 BY Harut Sassounian

Publisher of the California Courier Harut Sassounian presents an article on Cong. Dan Burton‘s refusal to continue working as chairman of Azerbaijan America Alliance, a powerful Azeri propaganda outfit in the U.S.

The article reads:

Here is news that you don’t hear every day: a former Congressman stops working for a foreign client after not receiving his pay for a year!

This is exactly what happened to Cong. Dan Burton (Republican-Indiana) who quit last week as chairman of Azerbaijan America Alliance, a powerful Azeri propaganda outfit in the United States, after waiting a whole year to get paid.

What were his Azeri masters thinking? How could they cheat one of their agents in Washington? This is a good way to get your lobbyist turn against you!

Lobbyists promote a client’s interests, not because they support its cause, but to make money. Personal financial gain was the only reason why Cong. Burton was backing one of the world’s most repressive and corrupt governments. When the money stopped, there was no longer a reason for him to promote Pres. Aliyev’s dictatorial regime.

The Azerbaijan America Alliance was founded by tycoon Anar Mammadov, a 34-year-old billionaire playboy. Interestingly, Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump had lent his name for a substantial fee to a luxurious hotel built by Mammadov’s company in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Reporter Carl Schreck and Radio Free Europe & Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) obtained a copy of the e-mail Cong. Burton sent on March 1, 2016 to James Fabiani whose Washington-based firm does lobbying work for the Azerbaijan America Alliance. “As I have not heard from you or Anar, and have not been paid for a year, please consider this e-mail as a letter of resignation as Chairman of the Azerbaijan America Alliance,” Cong. Burton wrote.

Here are further details from this scandalous affair disclosed by RFE/RL:

“Burton’s resignation follows months of speculation about the fate of the Azerbaijan America Alliance, a prominent pillar of a broader Azerbaijani lobbying campaign in the United States to portray Azerbaijan as a stable energy and security partner for the West. The lobby involves both private and state money.”

“Baku’s detractors accuse President Ilham Aliyev’s government and its proxies of trying to paper over an abysmal human rights record with “caviar diplomacy,” using gifts, vacations, and other expensive incentives to gain friends and curry favor with foreign officials.”

“Aliyev recently removed broad powers from the Transport Ministry, overseen by Mammadov’s father, suggesting the family’s influence in the government is waning.”

“Several reports in the Azerbaijani media since August have cited unidentified sources as saying that Mammadov planned to shutter the Azerbaijan America Alliance due to financial difficulties amid the broader economic crisis Azerbaijan is grappling with due to plunging energy prices.”

“Over the past five years, the Azerbaijan America Alliance has poured a total of $12.3 million into U.S. lobbying efforts, according to the public-interest website Opensecrets.org, having wined and dined Washington’s elite and pushed Baku’s interests in meetings with senior members of Congress.”

“The organization, which is not formally affiliated with the Azerbaijani state but has hewn closely to the Aliyev government’s line, has continued this spending, paying $1.46 million for U.S. lobbying services in 2015, most of which went to Fabiani & Company, according to public lobbying disclosures.”

“The group spent $430,000 for its 2012 dinner, which was attended by then-House of Representatives speaker John Boehner and 15 other members of Congress, including Burton, according to a 2013 filing under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).”

“Burton was named chairman of the Azerbaijan America Alliance in February 2013, a month after he left office after a 30-year career in Congress. He told RFE/RL this week that Fabiani introduced him to Mammadov, chairman of Garant Holding, a conglomerate with interests that include construction firms, hotels, and insurance companies.” “Investigations by RFE/RL have previously revealed that Anar Mammadov’s business interests are tied to the ministry overseen by his father, Ziya Mammadov.”

“Burton said that he did not engage in lobbying during his time with the Azerbaijan America Alliance, but that he would occasionally invite members of Congress to ‘social functions’ staged by the group. He also published opinion articles supporting the Azerbaijani government.”

Last May, I ran into Cong. Burton in the lobby of a New York hotel. I complained to him about his ongoing efforts on behalf of Azerbaijan and his votes against resolutions on the Armenian Genocide during his tenure in Congress. He gave me his business card, asking me to contact him…. I did not, and have no plans to do so now that he is no longer working as a propagandist for Azerbaijan.

US Congressman Pallone & Schiff Slam OSCE Ambassador’s Praise for Turkey

December 18, 2015 By administrator

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ)

WASHINGTON—Just hours after U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Daniel Baer’s statement citing Turkey’s “valuable” role in Nagorno Karabakh mediation efforts was released, Members of Congress began to express serious concerns about the top diplomat’s controversial assessment, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) explained he is “troubled by the recent statement praising Turkey’s role in the Minsk Group peace process made by our U.S. Representative to the OSCE. Turkey’s active and overt support of Azerbaijan with regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been apparent from the beginning. A statement like this will only serve to polarize the negotiations.”

House Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Democrat Adam Schiff (D-CA) argued that “given Turkey’s behavior and longstanding support for Baku, they cannot be considered — in any way — a neutral broker in what has become an increasingly intense conflict along the Line of Contact.” Congressman Schiff went to place focus on concrete mediation steps the OSCE can take in helping stop the escalating violence in the region, suggesting, “instead of stacking the table against Nagorno Karabakh, all nations should insist upon the deployment of monitoring technology along the border, a step that Armenia has readily agreed to but has been resisted by Azerbaijan, doubtless because it would demonstrate their unprovoked aggression.”

Congressman Pallone and Schiff’s statements follow remarks by Ambassador Baer on December 17, made public earlier today, in which he praised Turkey’s role in OSCE Minsk group facilitated Karabakh negotiations, stating “Turkey has been a valuable member of the Minsk Group and has worked cooperatively with the Co-Chairs on finding a way forward in peace talks.”

ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian immediately spoke out against the statement, noting “Ankara makes no secret of its pro-Baku bias, and long ago abandoned any pretense of neutrality. Look at the facts: The Erdogan government actively supports Aliyev’s virulent anti-Armenian positions, openly providing military aid and training to the Azerbaijani military, while, at the same time, blockading Armenia, contrary to international law, and seeking to isolate Yerevan in the international arena. Turkey’s strategy — and the international community’s unwillingness to call them out on it — has emboldened an aggressive and intransigent Azerbaijan to increase its attacks – leading to over 43 Armenian deaths in 2015 alone.” Hachikian concluded that “tearing down the firewall between Turkey and the Karabakh talks would only result in adding more fuel to the fire, setting back the cause of lasting peace.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)- Ranking Democrat, House Select Committee on Intelligence

Rep. Schiff’s calls for the deployment of monitoring technology is an important element of a three pronged plan, advanced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), supported by Rep. Schiff and over 80 House colleagues, that calls on the top U.S. Karabakh negotiator, Ambassador James Warlick, to secure the withdrawal of snipers, bring in additional OSCE monitors and put in place a gun locator system to identify the parties initiating cease-fire violations.

Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh have agreed to the Congressional proposal, as has the Obama Administration. Azerbaijan remains alone in refusing to implement the life-saving measures.

Chairman Royce, at the Capitol Hill Celebration of Karabakh Peace and Freedom last week, announced that his committee will be hosting a briefing with Amb. Warlick to follow up on the implementation of the Royce-Engel proposals for peace.

The Royce-Engel Letter for #NKPeace signed by 85 U.S. House Members is available at:

https://anca.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Royce_Engel_Karabakh_Peace.pdf

here is the United States Ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel B. Baer

US Ambassador to OSCE Praise Turkey’s Role in Minsk Group

VIENNA—The United States Ambassador to the OSCE, Daniel B. Baer on Thursday praised Turkey’s role as a Minsk Group member in remarks delivered the organization’s permanent council.

“We note recent statements that have called into question Turkey’s constructiveness as a Minsk Group member and disagree with that assessment. Turkey has been a valuable member of the Minsk Group and has worked cooperatively with the Co-Chairs on finding a way forward in peace talks,” Baer said in defense of Turkey whose role was deemed as destructive to the Karabakh talks earlier this week by Russia’s Ambassador to the OSCE, Aleksandr Lukashevich.

The Russian diplomat on Monday deplored Turkey’s unconditional support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, calling Ankara’s pro-Azerbaijani position “destructive.”

“There is a strict understanding that the three co-chairs [of the OSCE Minsk Group] — Russia, France and the U.S. — carry the main burden, as do other members of the Minsk Group,” said Lukashevich. “Turkey, by the way, is also a member. But the leading role [in the Karabakh peace process] is reserved for the three co-chairs.”

“Therefore, attempts to defend one of the parties to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh are absolutely destructive and cannot have any continuation,” added the diplomat.

Armenian National Committee of America Chairman Ken Hachikian responded Friday to U.S. Baer’s statement.

“In the wake of Ambassador Baer’s recent reckless statement, it is clear that the leadership of our State Department needs to exercise considerably greater caution and thoughtfulness regarding officials who encourage a direct Turkish role in the Nagorno Karabakh peace process,” said Hachikian.

“Ankara makes no secret of its pro-Baku bias, and long ago abandoned any pretense of neutrality. Look at the facts: The Erdogan government actively supports Aliyev’s virulent anti-Armenian positions, openly providing military aid and training to the Azerbaijani military, while, at the same time, blockading Armenia, contrary to international law, and seeking to isolate Yerevan in the international arena. Turkey’s strategy — and the international community’s unwillingness to call them out on it — has emboldened an aggressive and intransigent Azerbaijan to increase its attacks – leading to over 43 Armenian deaths in 2015 alone,” added Hachikian.

“Why then, do U.S. officials allow themselves to be used as props in Erdogan’s farce, pretending that the Turkish government will – against all evidence – play the role of some sort of impartial mediator?” asked Hachikian.

“Why is it that U.S. leaders can’t seem to find our moral compass when its comes to Turkey – on issues ranging from justice for the Armenian Genocide and a peace for Syria to freedom for Nagorno Karabakh?” emphasized Hachikian.

“This Administration’s shameful legacy of endlessly caving in to Turkish threats – at the expense of our own values and interests as a nation – is truly a national disgrace – an embarrassment beneath the dignity of the American people,” commented Hachikian.

“Tearing down the firewall between Turkey and the Karabakh talks would only result in adding more fuel to the fire, setting back the cause of lasting peace,” concluded Hachikian.

US congressmen urge their government not to turn blind eye to Azerbaijan aggression

December 12, 2015 By administrator

US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) called on the US, Russian, and French mediators to press Azerbaijan to accept major safeguards against intensifying ceasefire violations in the Karabakh conflict zone while speaking at the 24th anniversary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) independence celebration on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Ed Royce also said the US administration must not shy away from blaming Azerbaijan for deadly fighting along “the line of contact” around Karabakh.

During the “Freedom and Democracy of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic” event on Capitol Hill, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) expressed his concern with Azerbaijan’s aggressive and dangerous military provocations, as well as current U.S. policy.

“I also raised my dismay that the response from the United States has been to draw a false equivalence between Azeri and Armenian behavior,” Rep. Schiff said. “As we pursue a peaceful settlement, we cannot ignore the bellicose rhetoric and provocative military actions by Azerbaijan. Our silence only emboldens them.”