WASHINGTON — On April 8, 59 Armenian American organizations urged President Obama to “forcefully condemn Azerbaijan’s aggression” and called for the US to lead the way for “peace and long-term regional stability” in the Nagorno Karabagh Republic.
Below is the letter written by the Armenian-American community to President Obama:
Dear Mr. President:
Armenian Americans from across our nation ask you, in light of the worst Azerbaijani attacks since the 1994 Nagorno Karabagh cease-fire, to forcefully condemn Azerbaijan’s aggression and — in light of Baku’s reckless initiation of hostilities only hours after meeting in Washington, DC with senior members of your Administration — call for principled American leadership for peace and long-term regional stability.
In view of the renewed hostilities by Azerbaijan, which undermine our nation’s regional interests, and taking into consideration President Aliyev’s open threats to continue and further expand aggression against Nagorno Karabagh, we express our full support for the courageous efforts of the people and governments of Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh to protect their citizens and encourage theUS government to support the self-defense of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic. We commend, as well, the formal recognition of the independence of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic by the US states of California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. President Aliyev’s actions, which represent a direct challenge to US leadership for a negotiated resolution and grave threat to the peace of the entire region, require a strong American response.
In the interest of peace, we call upon you to immediately stop all military aid to Azerbaijan, and enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. We also encourage you to work with Armenia and the Nagorno Karabagh Republic on the deployment of gunfire locator and other monitoring systems on the Nagorno Karabagh side of the line-of-contact and the Armenian side of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.
