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WASHINGTON: Long-Time Armenian Issues Advocate Ed Royce to Retire from Congress

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House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) speaking with Wally Sarkeesian at ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference.

—Ed Royce today, announced he will be retiring from Congress at the end of this year he is
longstanding Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and author of the Artsakh Peace Proposals,

The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a long-time advocate for Armenian issues in Congress Ed Royce (R-Calif.) announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election this year.

“In this final year of my Foreign Affairs Committee chairmanship, I want to focus fully on the urgent threats facing our nation, including: the brutal, corrupt and dangerous regimes in Pyongyang and Tehran, Vladimir Putin’s continued efforts to weaponize information to fracture western democracies, and growing terrorist threats in Africa and Central Asia,” Royce said in a statement Monday.

“With this in mind, and with the support of my wife Marie, I have decided not to seek reelection in November.”

Since being elected to Congress in 1992, Royce has represented Orange County, which is home to significant Armenian community.

During his tenure in Congress, Royce has been a staunch supporter for United States recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh and comprehensive U.S. trade and investment in Armenia.

“Americans of Armenian heritage honor the service and leadership of the longstanding Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and author of the Royce-Engel Artsakh Peace Proposals, who, today, announced he will be retiring from Congress at the end of this year,” said the Armenian National Committee of America on a Facebook post Monday.

“The ANCA Western Region has worked very closely with Chairman Ed Royce for many years and is truly grateful for the unwavering commitment he has shown in supporting Armenia, Artsakh, and justice for the Armenian Genocide. We are deeply sorry that he will be retiring at the end of his term, but we look forward to continuing our important work with him until then. We thank him for his genuine friendship and constructive collaboration, and we wish him well as he pursues new ventures in the private sector,” said Nora Hovsepian, chairwoman of the ANCA-Western Region.

A member of the Armenian Congressional Caucus, Royce had spearheaded efforts to recognize the Armenian Genocide, and, was the author of the Royce-Engel Artsakh Peace proposals, which, following the April 2016 War, called for specific mechanisms to be placed along the Artsakh-Azerbaijani border, known as the line of contact, to monitor attacks and border skirmishes. This proposal was welcomed by the State Department as well as by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minks Group.

In 2017, Royce took the lead in advancing condemnation and demands for punishment of Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogans bodyguards who brutally beat and attacked protesters in Washington during Erdogan’s trip to the capital.

In October, Royce appeared alongside Rep. Adam Schiff on a panel moderated by Politics editor of Politico, Charlie Mahtesian, during the ANCA-WR’s centerpiece Grassroots Conference. During his presentation, Royce, once again, voiced support for the people of Artsakh and delineated efforts to ensure the Royce-Engel proposals were properly enacted.

“We will introduce equipment that can pick up the direction of artillery shells or mortars and attach responsibility to where they’re being fired from,” stressing that: “It seems to me that’s the first order of business,” said Royce at the ANCA-WR Grassroots conference.

Armenian Assembly to Hold Community Briefing Featuring Rep. Ed Royce

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tumblr_inline_o8tlf5w8WL1s2r9u1_400LOS ANGELES, CA – On June 29, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Western Region will host a community briefing in the evening with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Representative Ed Royce (R-CA). The Assembly will be holding the briefing with Chairman Royce at St. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church in Costa Mesa, California at 7:30 PM. This event is open to the public and free of charge. Guests are encouraged to RSVP by June 27 via an Eventbrite link at: aaabriefing.eventbrite.com.

“The Armenian Assembly is grateful to Chairman Royce for his long-standing leadership in the House in defense of Armenia and Artsakh, and for his readiness to address fundamental issues of concern to the Armenian American community,” stated Assembly Western Region Director Mihran Toumajan. “This forum will be the first of many Assembly events in California to keep our members and friends updated on the burgeoning U.S.-Armenia relationship, as well as American foreign policy priorities in the south Caucasus region.”

Chairman Royce oversees policy on Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and the South ­Caucasus region. During the community briefing, he will be discussing issues of priority concern to the Armenian American community, including Azerbaijan’s recent attacks against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, United States foreign assistance towards Syrian-Armenian refugees living in Armenia, the Fiscal Year 2017 aid package, and anti-Armenian sentiment and actions taking place in Turkey today.

As former Co-Chair (2011-2012) and member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Chairman Royce has been a consistent supporter of Armenian American concerns. Most recently, he issued a statement in support of the German Bundestag’s Armenian Genocide Resolution, where he stated: “Germany’s vote to recognize the Armenian Genocide is a major event. Acknowledging this dark moment in history is a victory for human rights.  The annihilation of millions of Armenians was genocide.  Period.  And the 1.5 million innocent men, women, and children whose lives were taken deserve recognition.”

Chairman Royce has also been a vocal supporter of peace in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. In October 2015, Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) spearheaded a letter signed by 85 Members of Congress addressed to Ambassador James Warlick, U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. The letter urged Ambassador Warlick to “publicly condemn specific acts of aggression along the line of contact. In the letter, Royce and Engel called for (1) an agreement from all sides not to deploy snipers along the line of contact; (2) the placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the line of contact; and (3) the deployment of additional OSCE observers along the line of contact to better monitor cease-fire violations.

Guests attending the Assembly’s community briefing will also have an opportunity to pose questions to Chairman Royce on a range of issues related to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce applauded yesterday’s vote by the German Bundestag

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Ed RoyceEd Royce: Germany’s vote to recognize Armenian Genocide is a major event

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce applauded yesterday’s vote by the German Bundestag to recognize the Armenian Genocide, during which 1.5 million innocent lives were taken, the Armeian Assembly of America reported.

“Germany’s vote to recognize the Armenian Genocide is a major event.  Acknowledging this dark moment in history is a victory for human rights.  The annihilation of millions of Armenians was genocide.  Period.  And the 1.5 million innocent men, women, and children whose lives were taken deserve recognition,” he said.