Category: Authors

Pres. Trump has no Right to Give The Syrian Golan Heights to Israel

Ever since Trump became President of the United States he has ignored both U.S. and international laws.

A few months ago, National Security Adviser John Bolton surprisingly announced that if the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigated any wrongdoing by American soldiers in Afghanistan, the U.S. government would ban ICC Judges from entering the United States and would sanction their assets in U.S. banks.

This represents the height of arrogance and flouting of international law. Instead of serving as a model of a civilized democratic country to the rest of the world, the Trump administration is ignoring and violating several international treaties.

While it is common knowledge that “might is right” in international relations, no previous U.S. President has such flagrantly disregarded the rule of law.

Pres. Trump’s recent actions in foreign policy are even more alarming. He has never taken seriously the complexity of the Arab-Israeli conflict. On the contrary, he has ignorantly announced that it is easy to solve the Middle East problem and has irresponsibly appointed his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has no experience in diplomacy and knows nothing about the Middle East, to be in charge of the Arab-Israeli peace plan.

Last year, in another unwise and dangerous decision, Pres. Trump moved the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which is “tantamount to recognizing Israeli sovereignty over land that is captured in the Six-Day War in 1967,” according to Professor of Law Eugene Kontorovich. In other words, the move to Jerusalem is a violation of international law.

Last week, Pres. Trump shocked the world when he tweeted that the Syrian territory of Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967, is Israeli territory: “After 52 years it is time for the United States to fully recognize Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which is of critical strategic and security importance to the State of Israel and Regional Stability.” Pres. Trump signed a proclamation on March 25, 2019, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu standing next to him in the White House, recognizing the Syrian Golan Heights as Israeli territory.

Can anyone be so flippant as to make such a grave announcement in a tweet? Just about every nation, except for Israel, condemned Pres. Trump’s unwise announcement. European Union countries, including Germany and France, criticized Pres. Trump’s decision on Jerusalem. Iran, Turkey and Egypt also sharply criticized the U.S. President. As expected, Syria declared that it will recover the Golan Heights with “all available means.”

The Golan Heights is one of the contentious territories that has been subject to serious negotiations between Syria and Israel, as part of the overall peace plan between Israel and Arab states. Announcing that Golan Heights belongs to Israel destroys what little remains of the United States claim that it is an impartial mediator. Rather than help the parties move towards peace, the United States has once again taken an unwise initiative that has aggravated the situation.

A German government spokesperson was quoted in The Independent newspaper saying, Berlin “rejected unilateral steps” to redraw national boundaries, adding: “If national borders should be changed it must be done through peaceful means between all those involved.”

The French foreign ministry stated that it did not recognize the Israeli annexation [in 1981] of the Golan Heights and that Mr. Trump’s statement is “contrary to international law.”

Palestinians quickly blasted Pres. Trump’s decision, saying it undermined the chance for peace in the region. Palestinian spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said any action taken on the decision would be “a violation of the UN resolutions, have no value whatsoever and would remain mere ink on paper.” Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Executive Committee, called it an “assault on international law.”

Pres. Trump has foolishly undermined Israel’s safety by provoking all Arabs and Muslims against Israel and the United States rather than taking measures to calm the situation and find a peaceful solution.

To complicate matters further, Pres. Trump’s controversial announcement came shortly before the April 9 Israeli elections which will determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will retain his post. The U.S. action is not only misguided but also an interference in the elections of a foreign country, boosting the chances of victory for Netanyahu, who faces indictment for corruption. At a time when the U.S. is accusing Russia for interfering in the 2016 American presidential elections, the U.S. itself is blatantly interfering in Israel’s elections!

And for those Armenians who naively expect Pres. Trump to recognize Artsakh as Armenian territory, just like he recognized the Golan Heights as Israeli territory, I hate to disappoint them by stating that Armenia does not have Israel’s political clout in Washington. Secondly, Armenians should not validate the unjust handover of the occupied Syrian territory of Golan Heights to Israel by comparing it to Artsakh — an historical Armenian land given to Azerbaijan by Stalin.

Armenians should also be concerned that Pres. Trump’s flawed argument jeopardizes the recovery of Western Armenian lands occupied by Turkey. Saying that after 52 years of occupation, Golan Heights belongs to Israel, Pres. Trump is undermining the Armenian claim to Western Armenia since it has been occupied by Turkey much longer than that! No matter how long those territories remain occupied, they will always belong to Armenians just as the Golan Heights belongs to Syria!

March 26, 2019
Church Saves AGBU Center in Toronto In a Last Minute Financial Arrangement

This week’s article is about a major controversy in the Armenian community of Toronto, Canada, which has been fortunately resolved for now.

On October 30, 2018, the AGBU Toronto Chapter issued a statement, announcing that it could no longer afford to pay its Center’s operational cost which “has become staggering,”

The AGBU Chapter further announced that it has received an offer from the Centennial College to buy the AGBU Center. Subsequently, it became known that the price for the AGBU Center was 8.5 million Canadian dollars. The Central Board — the headquarters of AGBU in New York City — had endorsed the decision to sell the property which was built in 1981.

The immediate impact of this potential sale was on the operations of the adjacent Holy Trinity Armenian Church whose members had used both the parking lot and the facilities of the AGBU Center. Furthermore, the Church had “the first right of refusal” to acquire the AGBU property which meant that if the Church chose to or could afford to purchase the AGBU Center, it had the priority to do so before its sale to the Centennial College, under the same terms.

On November 10, 2018, the AGBU Chapter issued a second statement expressing its regret that “a few have chosen to mischaracterize the recent announcement” regarding the potential sale of the AGBU Center to the Centennial College. The AGBU Chapter further stated that “while we understand that some did not like this decision, it is neither fair nor constructive to react with information intended to mislead the greater Toronto community, particularly those involved with the church.”

In response, the Diocese of Canada and the Holy Trinity Armenian Church issued a joint statement on November 19, 2018, describing the AGBU Chapter’s two statements as “futile attempts for self-justification. Moreover, they contained comments that were intended to mislead and divide our community. In either case, they failed. Clearly, these statements are void of genuine feelings for a healthy community and are a reflection of dictated undemocratic decisions with no transparency.”

Confused by the contentious press releases, the Toronto Armenian community tried to find out what exactly was going on behind closed doors. The absence of concrete information triggered plenty of rumors. The concern was that Toronto Armenians would lose one of its main centers. The rumor mill was fueled by AGBU’s previous decisions to close down Armenian schools, such as the Melkonian Educational Institute in Cyprus, even though the Toronto AGBU Chapter had announced that after the sale of its Center, it would move to a new more centralized location for the community in Toronto.

The other unusual situation was the public feud between AGBU and the Diocese which normally enjoy the best of relations around the world. Furthermore, Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II, the spiritual leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, is also the Honorary Central Board member of the AGBU. The Catholicos could have easily mediated the conflict between the two institutions, if it had become necessary.

On November 11, 2018, the Holy Trinity Armenian Church convened a special membership meeting under the presidency of the Primate, Bishop Abgar Hovakimian. The congregation adopted a resolution committing to raise the necessary 8.5 million Canadian dollars by January 29, 2019, in less than three months, to purchase the AGBU Center. A Mandated Committee was formed to that effect. The Church announcement stated that “Bishop Hovakimyan, in support of fundraising, made an impressive gesture by donating his Panagia and Crosier as the first donation to the fundraising drive.”

To everyone’s surprise, the Holy Trinity Armenian Church issued an announcement on January 29, 2019, confirming that the Diocese has “exercised its right of first refusal to purchase the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) property.” This unexpected and miraculous development raised a new round of questions as to how the Church was able to raise the large sum of 8.5 million Canadian dollars to purchase the property in such a short time! Inquiries to the Church for some details went unanswered, fueling more rumors as to the true source of the funding for the purchase of the AGBU Center.

After several more emails and phone calls to the Church and its Mandated Committee, Ara Boyajian, a member of the Committee, was kind enough to respond. Initially, Boyajian wrote to me that “the AGBU property next to the HTA [Holy Trinity Armenian] Church in Toronto was purchased by the Diocese and registered in the name of the Diocese. In 90 days the Diocese secured the required financing, exercised its right of first refusal, and completed the 8.5 million [Canadian] dollar transaction on Feb 28, 2019.”

When asked for further details, Boyajian and the Mandated Committee disclosed to me the following information:

“1) The Diocese was able to secure the financing of the project, which of course means that it got a Loan, purchased the AGBU property, and registered it in the name of the Diocese.”

“2) The Loan is secured by a 5-year term mortgage using only the subject property as collateral. The financiers currently want to remain anonymous, and the Diocese is obliged to respect their wishes.”

“3) The Diocese’s own feasibility study and the cash flow projections ensure that over the next five years the Diocese will head lease the premises and be able to carry the property, including making the interest payments. This will include any loss of income due to granting AGBU the right to continue its operation and activities in the building free of charge for eleven months, at absolutely no cost to AGBU.”

“4) The principal amount of the Loan will be due in five years. This will provide enough time for the Diocese to strategize and plan to undertake a much needed project which will benefit the Toronto community at large.”

In a follow-up email, Boyajian explained that the term “head lease” in the above point 3 means: “a Tenant leases the entire leasable space from the Landlord and pays rent to the Landlord, or in this case to the Diocese as the owner of the building. Parallel to securing the financier(s), the Diocese was able to find, negotiate and sign a ‘head lease’ with a reputable Tenant prior to the purchase (during the 90 day Right of First Refusal period), to enable the Diocese for the next five years to cover all the expenses of the building, including the interest payments of the Loan. This was supported by a Feasibility Study and Cash Flow Projections.”

Boyajian’s answers clarify that the Holy Trinity Armenian Church will pay the interest only on the 8.5 million loan for five years, after which the entire loan amount will become due and has to be either paid or refinanced.

The most important point is that the Church leaders were able to perform a financial miracle in a very short time and save the AGBU Center — a major achievement for the Armenian community of Toronto!

Finally, it would be prudent for all Armenian organizations worldwide to become as transparent as possible in dealing with community properties and issues to avoid unnecessary rumors and the loss of trust!

March 19, 2019
Rabbi Schneier Takes Evangelical Pastors On a Propaganda Tour of Azerbaijan

For several years, the government of Azerbaijan and its diplomats overseas have gone to great lengths to win over Jews worldwide, American Jewish organizations, and Israel.

Azerbaijan is simply copying Turkey’s sinister behavior that until recently wooed Jewish organizations in the United States and Israel’s government to block the passage of a congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Many Jewish groups ended their immoral cooperation with Turkey, after Turkish President Rejep Tayyip Erdogan began making anti-Semitic statements and threatening Israel.

Just like Turkey, Azerbaijan’s outreach to Jewish organizations and Israel is based on the typical anti-Semitic belief that Jews control American politicians and it is therefore in Azerbaijan’s interest to be on the good side of ‘powerful’ Jews. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, “many countries nurture their relationship to Israel in hopes of finding favor with influential American Jewish organizations who will in turn speak well of them to the U.S. government.”

Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s pro-Jewish efforts are based on the fact that it purchases billions of dollars of modern weapons from Israel. In return, Azerbaijan sells a large amount of oil to Israel. There have been also intelligence reports that Azerbaijan has provided Israel with several bases on its border with Iran, should Israel decide to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The latest example of the collaboration between American Jewish leaders and Azerbaijan is the visit to Baku on March 3-8 by a group of U.S. evangelical pastors led by New York-based Orthodox Rabbi Marc Schneier “to promote interfaith dialogue and highlight cooperation with Israel,” according to the Associated Press. This was the first ever evangelical delegation to visit the Muslim Shiite nation. The Rabbi described Azerbaijan as “the most beloved and respected Muslim country in the eyes of the Jewish American community,” reported Trend, an Azeri news agency. Schneier spoke at an event in the U.S. Congress last year celebrating the close friendship between Azerbaijan and Israel.

The group of 12 U.S. evangelical pastors met Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, the foreign minister, Muslim Sheikhs, local church leaders, and Israel’s ambassador. Rabbi Schneier told the Associated Press that Pres. Aliyev “announced during the delegation’s visit that the country’s first-ever Jewish cultural center would be built in Baku with Kosher dining options and a hotel to accommodate Jewish guests.” Schneier heads the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding based in New York and founded the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, New York. As a sign of their cozy relationship, Azerbaijan’s national airline flies directly to Tel Aviv and Pres. Aliyev hosted Israel’s prime minister in 2016.

Not surprisingly, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov took advantage of his meeting with the evangelical leaders to disparage Armenia and distort the facts of the Artsakh conflict. He said, “the recent statements of the Armenian leadership highlighted that such statements undermine the peace process.”

Pastor Adam Mesa, who leads the Abundant Living Family Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California, told the Associated Press that it was his first time in a Muslim majority country. The pastor said he was encouraged to take part in the trip because of Azerbaijan’s supportive Israeli stance and interreligious efforts. “It’s incredible that a Muslim majority country is the one that has to actually lead the charge on religious dialogue and community and solidarity.”

Rabbi Schneier confirmed to the Associated Press the political agenda behind the religious group’s visit: “from a political point of view, listen there is no question you know that Azerbaijan is looking to strengthen its relationship with the U.S. administration, with the United States Congress. Israel is very much a conduit to that.”

As in the case of Cong. Alcee Hastings, Azerbaijan seems to have picked another disgraced individual to disseminate its propaganda. The 60-year-old Rabbi Schneier has been married six times, the last on March 2017. In February 2018, the State of Florida ordered Schneier to pay $5,000 a month for $64,594 in unpaid child support he owed to his third wife for the care of their 19-year-old son. Rabbi Schneier was expelled in June 2015 by the Rabbinical Council of America for breaching the code of ethics by carrying on an extramarital relationship. In June 2010, the Rabbi announced to his congregation that he was suffering from “bipolar disorder.”

According to Wikipedia, “under pressure from his congregation for his multiple divorces and philandering, Schneier resigned in 2016 from his pulpit position at the Hampton Synagogue, which he had founded in 1990. Congregants had threatened to withhold pledges and payments until he left the synagogue.”

The New York Post reported that after cheating on his third wife, Rabbi Schneier in 2006 married Tobi Rubinstein, “a sexy worshipper,” who became wife No. 4. “In 2010, Tobi hired a private investigator who turned up explicit photos of her husband and Gitty Leiner, a then-30-something worshipper, getting hot and heavy in the Holy Land on what Schneier had told his wife was a routine business trip. Marriage No. 4 ended in divorce soon after.” The Rabbi ended up marrying Gitty Leiner in 2013 — wife No. 5. The couple had a child in 2014, “but then in 2015, Schneir was caught dining out in Queens with sexy young Simi Teitelbaum” who became his sixth wife in 2017! Interestingly, The Post reported that “Schneier explained away his unholy extramarital hookups by saying he was mentally ill and seeking treatment.”

Rabbi’s ex-wife Toby Gotesman told the Post: “When I left him, he was making $800,000 … that included a $500,000 salary, plus hundreds of thousands in additional compensation, including mortgage payments on his 5,000-square-foot Westhampton Beach home, said to be valued at around $3 million.”

Rabbi Schneier’s visit to Azerbaijan last week was not his first. He has been there several times in recent years on propaganda tours. One wonders if the Rabbi has received any compensation from Pres. Aliyev for his ‘valuable’ services. His multiple trips to Azerbaijan makes the Rabbi look more like a lobbyist for Azerbaijan than a religious figure!

I would urge Armenian evangelical church leaders to contact the 12 pastors who visited Baku last week in order to counter the propaganda they were fed against Armenia and Artsakh. I would also like to know if these pastors and Rabbi Schneier came back from Baku with suitcases full of the usual Azeri “gifts” of caviar, rugs, and other valuable items!

March 12, 2019
While You Hear a Voice of Justice

Azer HASRET

By Azer HASRET, azer@azerhasret.com

Recently, on the day of 26th February, 2019 US Congress` Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20) raised an issue of Khojaly Massacre, perpetrated by Armenian occupant army regiments together with Russian Army`s 366th motorized unit 27 years ago. As the recent history witnesses, during this occupation and massacre operation 613 men, women, children and other innocent people of Azerbaijani nationality were brutally killed by occupant army units.

27 years has passed since Khojaly Massacre and the people of Azerbaijan always ask international community for justice and help to bring to the responsibility desk those who ordered and who implemented this act of genocide. But unfortunately many organizations and forceful actors – world leaders were not even fair towards this act of genocide.

As Azerbaijan is new democracy and looking towards new practices and challenges through the leading democracies, the people of country always are attentive to the world leader country – the United States. Even this country usually is behind democratization and bringing new values throughout the world, sometimes some voices from Washington are not fairly approaching events like Khojaly Massacre of 26th February 1992. That’s why while Hon. Alcee L. Hastings acted with statement in the House of Representatives calling “to recognize the 27th anniversary of the Khojaly Massacre” we, the people of Azerbaijan were happy to hear this. That was fair approach and an act of justice initiative.

Rising the issue, Mr. Hastings once more approved his country`s role as a major actor on the globe to bring peace and justice to humanity. We always wish to see the US like this. We believe in the mighty of the United States and we believe that this country having all opportunities can be fair mediator to solve any kind of conflicts even thousands of miles away.

While Mr. Hastings acted with the statement towards Khojaly Massacre, our belief that the perpetrators will be brought to justice were renowned again. Indeed, we want and wish to rely on US`s justice and fair approach.

We, the people of Azerbaijan and likewise countries are always alongside with those forces which are powerful and fair. And which really is in line with international rules to defend those who face injustice. In this regard Mr. Hastings` act in the House is a sign of will, which can rehabilitate belief of people of Azerbaijan. Because we were losing our belief as the US actors sometimes were ignorant towards Azerbaijani peoples` pains.

Using this opportunity we would like to express our gratitude to Mr. Hastings and call to other US Congress members to act likewise in order to help with justice to prevail. The US were and remain Azerbaijan`s ally on the globe. And Azerbaijan is the country which is trusty to its principles in combating any kind of unfair approach towards humanity. In this struggle Azerbaijan was and remain as a main ally of the United States in the region of South Caucasus and alongside geography.

In order to solve the problem of occupation of lands by neighboring Armenia Azerbaijani people look towards US`s fair approach to act more quickly and more effective. As some 1 million people of Azerbaijan are still suffering the pains of war and occupation by Armenia we look towards fair voices throughout the world. Mr. Hastings is one of the rising fair voices in this regard which surely will rehabilitate belief on the US.

Yes, Azerbaijan was very quick to respond to the US calls “in the days after September 11, 2001” to overcome the world terrorism. And Azerbaijan remains as a trusty ally in this regard. But waiting the same approach from the US side in combating occupation and inhuman approach by the aggressive neighbor – Armenia as well. In this regard Mr. Hastings voice in the US Congress was due for the hope of Azerbaijani people. And people of Azerbaijan have the right to wait more and effective efforts from the US to end with injustice in our region and bring a piece to the region of South Caucasus.

P.S. While compiling very this piece of mine I just saw an initiative by the Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. on “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting visits and communication between the United States and the Republic of Artsakh at all levels of civil society and government”. One can be shocked while seeing this, as the US does not recognize any country under the name of “Artsakh” (Nagorno Karabakh). But political actors like Pallone always were obstacle while the US tries to act in a fair manner. Anyway we believe on US fair approach as there are politicians like Mr. Hastings who really want to contribute to peace building in our region.

@azerhasret

March 11, 2019
Azerbaijan Enlists Infamous Congressman Hastings in its Anti-Armenian Propaganda

Cong. Alcee L. Hastings (Democrat of Florida) is the latest transmitter of Azeri propaganda. He issued a statement on February 25, 2019, which he entered in the Congressional Record, accusing Armenians of killing 613 Azeri men, women, and children on Feb. 26, 1992, in the Khojaly village of Azerbaijan during the height of the Artsakh (Karabagh) war. Human Rights Watch placed the number of Azeri dead at 161. Nevertheless, even the single loss of life is regrettable be it Azeri or Armenian. Cong. Hastings, a member of Azerbaijan Congressional Caucus, called the alleged killings “the Khojaly Massacre.”

These killings are controversial with Armenians and Azeris blaming each other for the deaths. In recent years, the government of Azerbaijan has made these killings a cause celebre, organizing observances in various countries and accusing Armenians not only of committing a massacre, but a genocide! These propaganda observances are funded by what is known as “caviar diplomacy,” meaning that Azerbaijan bribes government officials around the world to block decisions critical of Azerbaijan or adopt resolutions in its favor.

It is ironic that while Azerbaijan describes the alleged killing of 613 Azeris a genocide, it shamelessly denies the actual genocide of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915 to 1923.

On March 3, 1997, the Armenian Foreign Ministry circulated a statement to members of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, rejecting the statement issued by Azerbaijan on February 22, 1997 on “the Khojalu event.” Armenia quoted the words of the then President of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov who had stated that the Azerbaijani National Front “actively obstructed and actually prevented the exodus of the local [Azeri] population through the mountain passages specifically left open by Karabakh Armenians to facilitate the flight of the civilian population.” Mutalibov had made that statement in the days following “the Khojalu event” in an interview with Czech journalist Dana Mazalova published in the April 2, 1992 issue of the Russian newspaper Nizavisimaya Gazeta.

By organizing such propaganda observances, Azerbaijan’s officials have found a convenient way of countering the mass murder of Armenians in the Azeri towns of Sumgait (Feb. 28, 1988), Gyanja (November 1988), and Baku (January 1990) as well as the Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turkey.

Azerbaijan could not have found a more infamous member of U.S. Congress to carry out its propaganda war against Armenia. Prior to becoming a member of Congress, Hastings served as a United States District or Federal Judge from 1979 to 1989, at which time he was impeached and removed from office!

According to Wikipedia, “In 1981, [Judge] Hastings was charged with accepting a $150,000 bribe in exchange for a lenient sentence and a return of seized assets for 21 counts of racketeering by Frank and Thomas Romano, and of perjury in his testimony about the case. In 1983, he was acquitted by a jury after his alleged co-conspirator, William Borders, refused to testify in court, resulting in a jail sentence for Borders.”

“In 1988, the Democratic-controlled United States House of Representatives took up the case, and Hastings was impeached for bribery and perjury by a vote of 413–3. He was then convicted on October 20, 1989, by the United States Senate, becoming the sixth federal judge in the history of the United States to be removed from office by the Senate. The Senate, in two hours of roll calls, voted on 11 of the 17 articles of impeachment. It convicted Hastings of eight of the 11 articles. The vote on the first article was 69 for and 26 opposed….”

Cong. Hastings was disgraced for the second time when a staff member of the Helsinki Commission for which he was the Chairman, accused him of inappropriate sexual behavior! The Roll Call newspaper reported on December 8, 2017 that the U.S. Treasury Department secretly paid the staffer $220,000 to settle an alleged sexual harassment case against Cong. Hastings.

Winsome Packer, the staff member of the congressional commission, stated in a written document that Cong. Hastings touched her, made unwanted sexual advances, and threatened her job. In her lawsuit, Packer stated “that Hastings repeatedly asked to stay at her apartment or to visit her hotel room. Packer also said he frequently hugged her, and once asked her what kind of underwear she was wearing,” according to Roll Call. Cong. Hastings denied the accusation.

Finally, it appears that Cong. Hastings has maintained extensive contacts with the BGR Group, a major U.S. firm that is paid $50,000 a month to lobby for Azerbaijan in Washington.

Under the federal FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) laws, every lobbying firm has to register with the U.S. Justice Department, disclosing the contract signed with the foreign entity. More importantly, the lobbying firm’s employees are required to report to the Justice Department every contact they make with outsiders on behalf of their clients, whether by email, phone call, or personal meeting.

For example, during the six-month period of December 1, 2017 to May 30, 2018, BGR reported contacting congressional offices hundreds of times. Each time the subject matter was listed as “U.S.-Azerbaijan Relations.” Cleverly, BGR had hidden the name of the Congressman or Senator, mentioning only his or her staff member’s name.

Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) conducted a lengthy investigation to identify the names of the Congress members for whom these staff members worked. The ANCA investigation disclosed that on Nov. 17, 2017, Feb. 27, March 5, March 12, April 30, May 22, May 23, and May 30, 2018 BGR lobbyists emailed Tom Carnes, a staff member of Cong. Hastings. BGR also had a meeting with Tom Carnes on May 30, 2018. In addition, on May 22, 2018, lobbyists from BGR e-mailed Susannah Jackson of Cong. Hastings office. In addition, on Nov. 2, 2017, Rob Mangas, Tim Hutchinson, K. Laurie McKay, Killoran Long, and Albert Wynn on behalf of a lobbying firm for Turkey, Greenberg Traurig, had discussions with Lale Morrison from the office of Cong. Hastings regarding U.S.-Turkish relations. Finally, on Oct. 27, 2017, Lydia Borland on behalf of another lobbying firm for Turkey, LB International Solutions, LLC, met with Lale Morrison from the office of Cong. Hastings regarding U.S.-Turkey relations.

No wonder that Cong. Hastings was given the low grade of D and D plus in recent years by the ANCA for not supporting various Armenian issues in Congress.

Azerbaijan has tried to cover up its crimes against Armenians and human rights violations of its deprived citizens by bribing foreign officials around the world and blaming others for its own wrongdoing!

March 5, 2019
Azerbaijan’s Destruction of Armenian Monuments Exceeds ISIS Crimes

“A groundbreaking forensic report tracks Azerbaijan’s destruction of 89 medieval churches, 5,480 intricate cross-stones, and 22,700 tombstones,” is the subtitle of an incredible article by Simon Maghakyan and Sarah Pickman, published in the Hyperallergic Newsletter last week. The article is titled: “A Regime Conceals its Erasure of Indigenous Armenian Culture.”

In April 2011, when the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan wanted to visit Nakhichevan, an Armenian territory classified by the Soviets as an “autonomous republic” of Azerbaijan, to verify the destruction of thousands of historical medieval Armenian khachkars (cross-stones), he was blocked by Azeri officials who told him that reports of their destruction was fake news.

Under Azeri oppression, the longstanding Armenian community of Nakhichevan had dwindled to zero! Not content with ethnic-cleansing, the Azeris proceeded to eliminate all traces of Armenian monuments, claiming that no Armenians had ever lived in Nakhichevan.

“In December 2005, an Iranian border patrol alerted the Prelate of Northern Iran’s Armenian Church that the vast Djulfa cemetery, visible across the border in Azerbaijan, was under military attack. Bishop Nshan Topouzian and his driver rushed to videotape over 100 Azerbaijani soldiers, armed with sledgehammers, dump trucks and cranes destroying the cemetery’s remaining 2,000 khachkars; over 1,000 had already been purged in 1998 and 2002,” reported Maghakyan and Pickman.

The flattened land, where the khachkars stood for centuries, is now a military rifle range. The “demolition was the ‘grand finale’ of Azerbaijan’s eradication of Nakhichevan’s Armenian past,” wrote the two authors.

Maghakyan and Pickman reported that “the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) employed remote sensing technologies in its pioneer investigation into cultural destruction. Their 2010 geospatial study concluded that ‘satellite evidence is consistent with reports by observers on the ground who have reported the destruction of Armenian artifacts in the Djulfa cemetery.’”

“Absolutely false and slanderous information … [fabricated by] the Armenian lobby,” proclaimed Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who makes frequent threats against Armenia and distorts its history.

The authors also quote from public decree No.5-03/S on December 6, 2005, by Nakhichevan’s “local autocrat” Vasif Talibov, a relative of Pres. Aliyev, “ordering a detailed inventory of Nakhichevan’s monuments. Three years later, the investigation was summed up in the bilingual English and Azerbaijani ‘Encyclopedia of Nakhchivan Monuments,’ co-edited by Talibov himself. Missing from the 522-page ‘Encyclopedia’ are the 89 medieval churches, 5,840 intricate khachkars, and 22,000 tombstones that [Armenian researcher Argam] Ayvazyan had meticulously documented. There is not so much as a footnote on the now-defunct Christian Armenian communities in the area — Apostolic and Catholic alike. Nevertheless, the official Azerbaijani publication’s foreword explicitly reveals ‘Armenians’ as the reason for No. 5-03/S: ‘Thereafter the decision issued on 6 December 2005 … a passport was issued for each monument … Armenians demonstrating hostility against us not only have an injustice [sic] land claim from Nakhchivan, but also our historical monuments by giving biassed [sic] information to the international community. The held investigations once again prove that the land of Nakhchivan belonged to the Azerbaijan turks [sic]….’”

Any Azerbaijani who dares to speak out in defense of Armenians is also attacked as an enemy of Azerbaijan. A courageous Azerbaijani writer, Akram Aylisli, paid a hefty price for telling the truth about the destruction of Armenian monuments in his hometown of Agulis (known today as Aylis). The well-known novelist was furious that the Azeri government was destroying Armenian churches. In his novel, “Stone Dreams,” the protagonist, an intellectual from Agulis, refers to memories of the town’s eight of the 12 medieval churches that had survived until the 1990’s, and protects a victim of anti-Armenian pogroms in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. Pres. Aliyev revoked Aylisli’s pension and title of “People’s Writer.” His writings were removed from school curricula, his books were publicly burned, and his family members were fired from their jobs. He has been under de facto house arrest since the release of his novel. Aylisli protested the destruction of the Armenian churches in Agulis and resigned from his position as Member of Azerbaijan’s Parliament. He fearlessly sent a telegram to Pres. Heydar Aliyev in 1997, calling the destruction of the Armenian churches in Aylis an “act of vandalism being perpetrated through the involvement of armed forces and employment of anti-tank mines.”

The two authors spoke with Russian journalist Shura Burtin who after interviewing Aylisli in 2013 traveled to Nakhichevan and reported that he didn’t see “a trace of the area’s glorious past.” Burtin concluded: “Not even ISIS could commit such an epic crime against humanity.”

The authors reported that Aylisli’s 2018 non-fiction essay in Farewell, claimed “that a mosque built five years ago on the site of one of the destroyed churches has been boycotted by locals because ‘everyone in Aylis knows that prayers offered in a mosque built in the place of a church don’t reach the ears of Allah.’”

Argam Ayvazyan, a native of Nakhichevan who spent decades photographing the local Armenian monuments before their destruction, was quoted by Maghakyan and Pickman as decrying the world’s silence: “Oil-rich Azerbaijan’s annihilation of Nakhichevan’s Armenian past make it worse than ISIS, yet UNESCO and most Westerners have looked away.” ISIS-demolished sites like Palmyra can be renovated, Ayvazyan argued, but “all that remain of Nakhichevan’s Armenian churches and cross-stones that survived earthquakes, caliphs, Tamerlane, and Stalin are my photographs.”

February 26, 2019