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Mar 15, 2017
2 min

Armenian Assembly Urges Investigation of Azerbaijan’s Ties & Compromising Material on U.S. Officials

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Earlier this week, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) sent letters to the Senate and House Select Committees on Intelligence expressing concern regarding the undue influence of Azerbaijan on America’s democratic institutions. In their letter to the Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC), Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), House Intelligence Chairman David Nunes (R-CA), and Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA), Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsa

Dec 29, 2016
1 min

Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny Responds to Biased Article

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan Ardouny responded to a biased article posted in The Hill earlier this month. Ardouny wrote: “Christina Gathman’s ‘Armenia’s Russia problem’ in The Hill’s Congress Blog published on Dec. 13, 2016 goes to some length to catalogue the extent of Russian investments in Armenia and raises the question whether the degree of economic cooperation between the two countries affects its foreig

Dec 20, 2016
2 min

The Rachel Maddow Show’s Distasteful and Misleading Introduction

The first six minutes of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC editorialized a prescripted hit piece on Armenians instead of reporting on the devastating assassination of the Russian Ambassador to Turkey by a Turkish police officer. This is unfair and irresponsible journalism. Join the Armenian Assembly of America by contacting Rachel Maddow, The Rachel Maddow Show, and MSNBC to voice your objection to the distasteful and misleading introduction of her segment. Armenian Assembly Co

Dec 19, 2016
2 min

Turkey Unsafe for Diplomats and Foreign Visitors

Turkish Terrorism Continues while ISIS Operates within Border Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov speaks at a gallery in Ankara on December 19, just before a gunman (left) opened fire. On December 19, Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov was fatally shot after delivering a speech at an art gallery in Ankara. The gunman reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” and said in Turkish “We die in Aleppo, you die here” during the shooting which left Ambassador Andrei Karlov dea

Jun 21, 2016
2 min

Armenia, Azerbaijan Presidents Held Second Meeting on Nagorno Karabakh

(L-R): Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. On June 20, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, to discuss peace negotiations for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. This is the second time Sargsyan and Aliyev have spoken together following the Nagorno Karabakh four-day war in early April. Their first meeting was on May 16 with rep

Apr 13, 2016
2 min

Armenians Protest Against Russian Arms Sales To Azerbaijan

(RFE/RL) – Hundreds of Armenians have demonstrated in Yerevan against Russian weapon sales to Azerbaijan, claiming the sales led to the outbreak of fighting on April 2 in and around Azerbaijan’s breakaway region of Nagorno Karabakh. The protesters, mostly young activists, marched to the Russian Embassy in Yerevan chanting “Shame!” and “Free, independent Armenia!” Some threw eggs at the embassy, sparking scuffles with riot police. A petition read out by a protest organizer dem

Mar 11, 2016
4 min

Analyst: No Promise From Armenia On Direct Support For Russia In Syria

(L-R): Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan during a signing ceremony in Yerevan on December 2, 2013. By Sargis Harutyunyan (RFE/RL) – The Armenian president may have gone “too far, too fast” in giving “blanket endorsement” to Russia in Syria, but he did not commit Armenia to any direct support for Moscow’s campaign in this Middle East country, says a Yerevan-based analyst, assessing Serzh Sargsyan’s latest talks with his Russia

Nov 12, 2015
2 min

Russia To Upgrade Joint Air Defense With Armenia

President Serzh Sarkisian ® with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin visit the 102nd Russian Military Base in Gyumri (Photo Taken on December 2, 2013). (RFE/RL) – Russia moved closer on Wednesday to setting up a new joint air defense system with Armenia, with President Vladimir Putin formally authorizing his government to negotiate a corresponding Russian-Armenian agreement. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet confirmed late last month plans for the creation o

Nov 20, 2014
4 min

Congress, Armenian Assembly Condemn Azerbaijan Downing of Armenian Helicopter in Karabakh

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog On November 12th, an Azerbaijani military unit stationed near the official Line of Contact (LOC) shot down an unarmed Nagorno Karabakh (NK) army helicopter killing all three servicemen aboard. News of the incident was first reported by the British Broadcasting Corporation and soon went viral across the Internet. “The [Armenian] Assembly strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s blatant cease-fire violation and calls upon the Administrat

Jul 18, 2014
4 min

NATO and Azerbaijan: An Unbalanced Partnership

By Peter Kechichian and Gevorg Shahbazyan AAANews Blog Last week, Azerbaijan was again the focus of a U.S. foreign policy discussion. On July 1st, the Atlantic Council hosted a forum in Washington D.C. entitled, “NATO in the Caucasus: The Case of Azerbaijan.” Moderated by Mr. David Koranyi, the Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center, the panel featured influential analysts who cover this strategic region. These included Ambassador Khazar Ibrahi

Jun 30, 2014
3 min

Rep. Schiff Votes in Support of Armenia’s Amendments on Syria & Karabakh at OSCE Parliament Assembly

Key Amendments Adopted Include Calling for the Protection of Religious Minorities in Syria, Urging States to Prevent the Use of their Territories for Cross Border Attacks on Communities like Kessab, Affirming Principle of Peaceful Settlement of Disputes and Right of Self-Determination of Peoples At a parliamentary meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Baku, Azerbaijan earlier today, Armenia’s representative offered two amendments to

Jun 26, 2014
5 min

The Assembly Agenda: This week in Washington, D.C. – June 26, 2014

By Taniel Koushakjian (@Taniel_Shant) AAANews Blog HOUSE: The House is in session this week with final votes scheduled for Thursday night. Congress will begin their 4th of July recess this Friday and will return on Tuesday, July 8th. – HOUSE FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE VOTE THIS MORNING: Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee is scheduled to markup H.R. 4347, the Turkey Christian Churches Accountability Act, at 9 AM. There has been heavy opposition to this bill, according t

Jun 19, 2014
5 min

Russian policies in Ukraine and their effect on the South Caucasus

By: Gevorg Shahbazyan, Summer Intern, Armenian Assembly of America On Monday, June 16, the Jamestown Foundation held a conference entitled “Repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict on Moldova and the South Caucasus,” at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. The two panel conference featured several policy experts and former U.S. government officials, including Margarita Assenova, Director of Programs for the Balkans, Caucasus & Central Asia

May 28, 2014
5 min

H.R.6 Passes: an Alternative Solution to Balance Russia’s Monopoly on Eastern Europe's Energy Supply

By Orsolya Doricsak May 28, 2014 On Wednesday, April 30, the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed H.R.6, a bill that would speed up liquefied natural gas (LNG) export to World Trade Organization (WTO) countries. “The committee advanced the bill proposed by Rep. Cory Gardner (R-CO) in a 33-18 vote, but with significant changes made after a bipartisan agreement was reached,” according to The Hill. The recent crisis in Ukraine brings to light the dependence of East Europea

Mar 21, 2014
1 min

(Flyer) Discussion on Russian-Armenian & Armenian-American Relations at Columbia University

Join Armenian Assembly of America board member Van Krikorian and Andranik Migranyan, member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy of the Russian Federation for a special discussion on Russian-Armenian and Armenian-American Relations Today at Columbia University, Kent Hall, Room 413 on Thursday, March 27 at 7:00 PM. #Crimea #Genocide #Russia #Ukraine #ArmenianGenocide #NYC #Artsakh #NagornoKarabakh #SouthCaucasus #Diaspora #Armenian #ColumbiaUniversity #Armenia

Feb 25, 2014
8 min

The First Refuge & the Last Defense: The Armenian Church, Etchmiadzin, & the Armenian Genocide

Major Exhibit Issued by ANI, AGMA, and Assembly Available Online Washington, DC – The Armenian National Institute (ANI), Armenian Genocide Museum of America (AGMA) and Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) jointly, and in cooperation with the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute in Yerevan, and the Republic of Armenia National Archives, announced the release of a major exhibit consisting of 20 panels with over 150 historic photographs docum

Nov 14, 2013
10 min

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing Discusses Armenia

(Left: Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT); Right: Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria J. Nuland) WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs held a hearing entitled “A Pivotal Moment for the Eastern Partnership: Outlook for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia and Azerbaijan.” The majority of the hearing was spent discussing the political situation in Ukraine, and to a lesser degree Moldova, Georg

Oct 18, 2013
6 min

Spotlight Refocus: The Latest on Turkey

By: Hamlet Tamazian & Bobby Avakian The American spotlight on the unrest in Turkey has faded since the worst of the Taksim Square riots, Gezi Park protests, and anti-Erdogan rallies. However, there is still much turmoil in Turkey and the region, and new problems are developing – making old issues more complex. Still, the democratic and human rights progress made during the protests has registered a permanent cultural shift among the people of Turkey. The Turkish government is