GLENDALE—In a statement issued Friday, the ARF Dashnaktutyun Western US Central Committee appealed to the community to raise much-needed funds to help rebuild areas of Artsakh most hard-hit by recent Azerbaijani attacks, as well as to provide support to families of fallen soldiers.

Below is the complete text of the announcement.

The heroic people of Artsakh have once again spilled blood defending our homeland. As a clarion call, a mother, while burying her son, expressed the sentiment of the courageous people of Artsakh, “We lost precious lives defending our land. We will not give up one inch of that land to the aggressors.”

The savage attacks by Azerbaijani forces beginning on April 2, along the Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan border has not only destabilized the region, but also rekindled the possibility of full-scale war threatening the existence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and its people. Although the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army withstood the attacks and delivered a strong response, several villages have been left in ruins, especially the regions of Talish, Mardakert, and Madaghis. The unprovoked aggression has resulted in the loss of civilian and military lives and has taken its toll on the injured soldiers.

We reiterate our solidarity with the government and people of Artsakh, as well as the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, as they confront yet another breech of the cease fire by Azerbaijan.

The ARF Dashnaktutyun Western US Central Committee, heeding the call from our brethren in Artsakh, has pledged to play a central role in the effort to rebuild the devastated areas as quickly as possible so that the residents may return to their normal lives, and to send a decisive message to Azerbaijan that its military threats will not deter the spirit of the Armenian people and the development of Artsakh.

We call upon all Armenians to join the ACF “With Artsakh” and AYF “With Our Soldiers” efforts in order to actively bring their financial and moral support to free and independent Artsakh.

The National Liberation Struggle for Artsakh began in 1988 and war threatened its existence in the 1990’s. The ARF Western US, with its members, supporters and the vast and diverse affiliate organizations has continually stood with Artsakh and spared nothing to ensure its survival. The time has come to recommit to assisting our brave brothers and sisters in the homeland.