Azerbaijani-American Council

AAC editorial on the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre published by the Iowa City Press-Citizen Commemorating the anniversary of the Khojaly massacre On Feb. 26, Azerbaijani people will solemnly observe the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly massacre, Europe's first mass atrocity since World War II. On that night in 1992, the Armenian forces, armed by the 366th infantry regiment of the Russian army, attacked the town of Khojaly in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. An est...imated 613 fleeing residents of the town, including 106 women and 63 children, were chased and brutally murdered by the Armenian fighters. Hundreds of civilians went missing, over a thousand received permanent health damage, 1,275 were taken hostage, and over 150 children lost one or both parents. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the New York Times other media outlets and rights watchdogs documented the atrocity. The Armenian field commander, Monte Melkonian, provided a shocking witness account of the "killing fields" near Khojaly in his diary, reproving his fellow fighters of the war crime. Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also admitted that it was an act of revenge against Azerbaijanis. Yet, officially, the Armenian government and the Armenian-American interest groups continue to deny the atrocity and justice to its victims. Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly on the occasion of the Holocaust Remembrance in January 2015, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin highlighted the Khojaly Massacre as among the genocidal acts the international community had failed to prevent. The painful memory of Khojaly remains an obstacle for the Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation also actively sought by the United States. On this occasion, I join the Azerbaijani-American Council and the community to commemorate the Khojaly Massacre and to support its recognition through public statements. Agshin Taghiyev, Coralville

AAC editorial ahead of the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre published by the Cerritos News (California) newspaper: https://www.loscerritosnews.net//letters-29th-anniversary/ February 17, 2021... On February 26, Azerbaijani people will solemnly observe the 29th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre, Europe’s first mass atrocity since World War II. On that night in 1992, the Armenian forces, armed by the 366th infantry regiment of the Russian army, attacked the town of Khojaly in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Estimated 613 fleeing residents of the town, including 106 women and 63 children, were chased and brutally murdered by the Armenian fighters. Hundreds of civilians went missing, over a thousand received permanent health damage, 1,275 were taken hostage, and over 150 children lost one or both parents. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the New York Times, other media outlets and rights watchdogs documented the atrocity. The Armenian field commander, Monte Melkonian, provided a shocking witness account of the killing fields near Khojaly in his diary, reproving his fellow fighters of the war crime. Former Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also admitted that it was an act of revenge against Azerbaijanis. Yet officially, the Armenian government and the Armenian-American interest groups continue denying the atrocity and justice to its victims. Speaking to the UN General Assembly on the occasion of the Holocaust Remembrance in January 2015, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin highlighted the Khojaly Massacre among the genocidal acts that the international community failed to prevent. The painful memory of Khojaly remains an obstacle for the Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation also actively sought by the United States. On this occasion, I join the Azerbaijani-American Council and the community to commemorate the Khojaly Massacre and to support its recognition through public statements. Ergun Kirlikovali Irvine, CA

AAC editorial on Black January in Azerbaijan published in the Claremont Courier, a local newspaper in Claremont, California https://www.claremont-courier.com/ar/opinion/t40477-letters Thirty-one years ago, on the night of January 19-20, 1990, Soviet authorities staged the falling empire’s last brutal crime against its own citizens. Amid a popular uprising in Baku, Azerbaijan, 26,000 regular and special Soviet troops with support of tanks, helicopters and navy stormed the ...city, indiscriminately killing unarmed inhabitants. Black Januaryas it came to be calledwas the most violent crackdown on dissent during the Gorbachev’s glasnost era. According to the official counts, 137 civilians were killed that night alone, with up to 170 dead and 714 wounded by February 1990. An investigation team led by Human Rights Watch found compelling evidence that Soviet troops used unjustified and excessive force resulting in unnecessary civilian casualties. Heavily armed Soviet troops assaulted the city of Baku as an enemy position intended for military destruction; fired on clearly marked ambulances; used armored vehicles and weapons appropriate for sophisticated warfare to crush civilians. Additionally, the Soviet forces used expanding bullets prohibited by the 1899 Hague Convention, killing women, children, and elderly among many others that night. Despite the scale of brutality, Black January reinforced Azerbaijanis’ determination for freedom. On the third day of the massacre, more than 2 million people rallied at the mass funerals of the victims, defying the Soviet military curfew. Within two years, in October 1991, Azerbaijan restored its independence. On this 31st anniversary of Black January, I join Azerbaijani-Americans in commemoration and ask our public officials to honor the sacrifices made by Azerbaijani people in their struggle for freedom and independence. Zafer Mudar Tujunga, CA

New Jersey General Assembly recognizes March 31, 2015 as the Azerbaijani Remembrance Day in solemn observance of the 97th anniversary of the #AzerbaijaniGenocide

New Jersey General Assembly recognizes March 31, 2015 as the Azerbaijani Remembrance Day in solemn observance of the 97th anniversary of the #AzerbaijaniGenocide

AAC (aka ASA West) hosted Novruz Gala with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Mayors of Irvine, Fountain Valley, CA, staffers from the offices of Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and other distinguished guests joining the Azerbaijani-American community.

AAC Press Release LOS ANGELES, May 2, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia revealed the latter's effective use of ethnic separatism to keep its neighborhood away from the West. Indeed, the post-Soviet separatist conflicts in Nagorno-Karabakh, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Transdniester, and Crimea hindered progress of the nations of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Armenia. While the first four lost ...control of significant parts of their territories, the fifth lost independence over its territorial ambition. Last year, Armenia was forced to scrap the EU neighborhood agreement to join Putin's neo-Soviet Eurasian Union. In March 2014, along with North Korea and Syria, Armenia opposed a UN General Assembly resolution affirming Ukraine's territorial integrity. Additionally, Armenian President's support for the illegal Russian incursion forced Ukraine to recall its ambassador from Armenia. Despite the U.S. Administration's principled opposition to redrawing of borders by force, some state politicians believe otherwise. The California Assembly Joint Resolution 32 authored by Democratic Assemblymember Mike Gatto in collaboration with the Armenian-American lobby reflects the Russian view of the world order. AJR 32 calls for California's recognition of the separatist "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", or "NKR", as a sovereign state. In 1991-94, the Armenian forces, supported and equipped by Russia, invaded and occupied one-fifth of Azerbaijan including Nagorno-Karabakh. Nearly 30,000 were killed and over a million, overwhelming majority of them Azerbaijanis, were expelled from their homes. In 1993, four UN Security Council resolutions demanded an unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces, allowing the return of nearly 800,000 Azerbaijani refugees. The peace process mediated by the United States, Russia and France has stalled because of Armenia's attempts to legitimize the military occupation and ethnic cleansing. For this purpose, Armenian authorities forged "NKR", a monoethnic client regime on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which neither the U.S. nor any other country recognize. It is unclear whether Mr. Gatto is aware of the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits states from pursuing a foreign policy in violation of federal government's jurisdiction. Not to mention that AJR 32 will not improve the lives of California taxpayers. But we are hopeful that common sense will prevail in the Rules Committee of the State Assembly, due to discuss the bill on Monday, and that its sponsors will opt for meaningful ways of pursuing foreign conflict settlement.

AAC editorial published in the Courier Post (NJ) Twenty-four years ago, on the night of January 19-20, 1990, Soviet authorities staged the falling empire’s last brutal crime against its own citizens. Amid a popular uprising in Baku, Azerbaijan, 26,000 regular and special Soviet troops with support of tanks, helicopters and navy stormed the city, indiscriminately killing unarmed inhabitants. Black January was the most violent crackdown on dissent during Mikhail Gorbachev’s gla...snost era. According to the official counts, 137 civilians were killed that night alone, with up to 170 dead and 714 wounded by February 1990. An investigation team led by Human Rights Watch found compelling evidence that Soviet troops used unjustified and excessive force resulting in unnecessary civilian casualties. It reported that heavily armed Soviet troops assaulted Baku as an enemy position intended for military destruction; fired on clearly marked ambulances; used armored vehicles and weapons appropriate for sophisticated warfare to crush civilians. Additionally, the Soviet troops used expanding bullets prohibited by the 1899 Hague Convention, killed women, children and elderly people, among many others that night. Despite the scale of brutality, Black January reinforced Azerbaijanis’ determination for freedom. On the third day of the massacre, more than 2 million people rallied at the mass funerals of the victims, defying the Soviet military curfew. Within two years, in October 1991, Azerbaijan restored its independence. On the 24th anniversary of Black January, I join members of Azerbaijani-American Council and Azerbaijan Society of America in requesting a proclamation recognizing the sacrifices made by Azerbaijani people in their struggle for freedom and independence. ESRA UGURLU Delran

AAC thanks the U.S. State of Georgia House of Representatives for the legislative resolution recognizing the 20th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre.

AAC editorial published in The Gazette (Iowa): As the House Appropriations Committee prepares for a vote on the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs budget, I would like to call for a reduction of U.S. aid to Armenia and elimination of any aid to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Since 1990s, the U.S. Congress has been allocating assistance to the victims of the Armenian-Azerbaijani/Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. But in 2005, under pressure from the e...thnic special interest groups, wording of the appropriations bills was revised to direct U.S. taxpayer dollars only to a group of fewer than 100,000 Armenians in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, more than 600,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis, expelled from their homes during the Armenian occupation, were deprived of any U.S. assistance. Further, in the last six years, the allocation of funds to the Armenian community in Karabakh has been gradually increasing without basis, from $3 million to $8 million. In regards to the U.S. aid to Armenia, this country’s policy has been a major roadblock to peace and development in the South Caucasus. Armenia’s regional policy directly challenges the U.S. interests as well. In 2003, Armenian government sold 1,000 RPG-22M rockets and 260 PKM machine guns to Iran. These weapons were used by the Iranian-backed Hizballah brigades in Iraq to kill a U.S. serviceman. Thus, at the time when the U.S. national debt nears $15 trillion, another extension of U.S. aid to Armenia is unsubstantiated. Agshin Taghiyev Iowa City

AAC Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the International Women's Day On March 8, Azerbaijanis in the U.S. and around the world will celebrate the International Women's Day.(IWD). Observed for the first time in the United States in 1909, it became an international holiday of women in Azerbaijan as well. Year 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of the first world-wide celebration of the IWD. Historically, women played an important role in a traditionally Muslim Azerbaijani societ...y. In fact, in 1919, ahead of the United States and the United Kingdom, the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) voted to extend universal suffrage rights to women. Few years later, a Statue of Liberated Woman was erected in capital Baku to symbolize the emancipation of women in Azerbaijani society. Modern Azerbaijani constitution also grants equal legal rights to women and many Azerbaijani women take active part in the public and political life of the nation. However, challenges still exist due to traditional social norms and economic inequalities which limit opportunities for women and restrict them from full-fledged participation in political and economic affairs. Expressing a hope and a commitment to help resolving these challenges, the board directors of Azerbaijani-American Council join to extend their greetings to all Azerbaijani women on the occasion of the International Women's Day.