Rep. Ed Royce announces special congressional Karabakh briefing

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Representative, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce announces a Karabakh congressional briefing to address Azerbaijan's escalating aggression on the contact line.

A Capitol Hill celebration of Nagorno Karabakh's commitment to freedom and democracy - capping the two day Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Fly-In for #NKPeace - featured a public call Royce for a special briefing with U.S. Ambassador James Warlick - the State Department official responsible for the Nagorno Karabakh peace talks.

The special briefing comes as a follow up to the October 26 Congressional letter addressed to Ambassador Warlick, initiated by Chairman Royce and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY) and cosigned by over 80 House colleagues, outlining three concrete steps to address escalating Karabakh violence, including the removal of snipers from the border, an increase in OSCE monitors and deployment of a gunfire direction finders.

Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have both expressed support for these life-saving initiatives; Azerbaijan has not. "Why are the snipers not pulled back? [...] Why have we not deployed those special [gun fire] direction finders?" asked Chairman Royce, citing reports of unprecedented Azerbaijani tank fired shelling and high-powered rifle fire, which claimed the life of 24-year-old Garik Gurgen Avanesyan.

Chairman Royce concluded his remarks, noting "I retain hope that one day the people of Nagorno Karabakh will be able to live in peace, enjoying security and a flourishing trade with its neighbors in the region, and I give thanks to those of you here who are committed to that peace and who are committed to stay engaged to see that that happens."

Pro-Artsakh advocates from across the US converged in Washington DC on December 8 as part of the "ANCA Fly-In for #NKPeace" initiative - a two-day mission to share a message of peace and democracy with U.S. Senators and Representatives, culminating in the December 9th Capitol Hill observance.

Community leaders from California, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, and Tennessee, among other states, joined Virginia, Maryland and DC advocates for the two-day marathon of meetings and visits, spotlighting expanded Azerbaijani violence.

The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) on Wednesday, December 9, joined the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues in co-hosting the annual Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh independence celebration on Capitol Hill, alongside the U.S. Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR), the Embassy of Armenia in the U.S., and the Armenian National Committee of America. The event was in celebration of "Freedom and Democracy of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic," marking the 24th anniversary of independence.

Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Robert Dold (R-IL) opened the program. He was joined by fellow Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) who gave remarks, and introduced keynote speaker NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan. Also in attendance at the celebratory event was House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as Reps. Judy Chu (D-CA), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Dina Titus (D-NV).