National Democratic Alliance - Armenia - Statement

» National Democratic Alliance

Congressman Brad Sherman

2365 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Congressman Frank Pallone

2107 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Congressman Jim Costa

2081 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

October 13, 2023

Dear Congressmen Sherman, Pallone, and Costa:

I am writing to you on behalf of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Armenia’s bigest pro-Western political party, to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering leadership in championing issues of paramount importance to the Armenian-American community and Armenia.

Specifically, I am addressing your letter dated October 4, 2023, addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, concerning Armenia.

We applaud several aspects of the letter that strongly resonate with NDA’s core beliefs. We wholeheartedly support your stance in naming Russia as a “destabilizing, autocratic regime”; and endorsing the call for an “international monitoring and peacekeeping force in Armenia”. These positions align seamlessly with long-standing NDA objectives, as our central foreign policy tenet is to emancipate Armenia from the grasp of Kremlin influence and re-establish a robust alliance between Armenia and the United States alongside its Western partners.

However, I wish to address certain aspects of your letter that raise concerns within our organization and the Armenian community in the US. Primarily, your letter insists on a final peace settlement based on “Soviet military maps from 1975-76”. These maps categorize Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) as part of Azerbaijan, inadvertently legitimizing Azerbaijan’s claim over Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, these maps reassign significant sections of Armenian territory to Azerbaijan, including the territory that currently houses the primary road to Georgia (North) and the sole link to Armenia’s Syunik province (South). This would lead to further encirclement and isolation of Armenia. Such a “solution” should not be promoted by friends of Armenia, and we respectfully request a reconsideration of this position.

Secondly, while we appreciate your reference to the need for humanitarian assistance to aid refugees from Artsakh, your letter misses an opportunity to advocate for conditions that would allow for the safe return of refugees to Artsakh, potentially through the establishment of a UN-mandated peacekeeping force. From an Armenian perspective, there can be no viable solution without the return of refugees to Artsakh.

Negotiations for a meaningful peace deal can only commence once this crucial step is taken. It is imperative that Aliyev and his genocidal regime are not rewarded for their actions in displacing Artsakh's population, and the right of refugees to return should remain inviolable.

Finally, concerning an eventual peace settlement, which should only be pursued when the situation has stabilized, the NDA advocates for the United Nations International Court of Justice to adjudicate the Armenia-Azerbaijan border based on the only legitimate and internationally recognized borders established in 1920 by the League of Nations’ Commission for the Delimitation of the Boundaries of Armenia.

I have extensively researched and written on this topic, and I firmly assert that all other border decisions, arising subsequent to Armenia’s occupation by the Red Army in late 1920, are illegal, including according to US laws. An adjudication by a respected international body, rather than coercing Armenia into accepting Aliyev’s diplomacy under duress, would pave the way for a lasting peace.

In conclusion, while I have composed extensive analyses on these matters, including contributions to the US media, I stand ready to provide you with a comprehensive briefing on this subject separately if you express an interest.

Thank you for your attention to these crucial issues, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration for the betterment of Armenia and its relationship with the United States.

Sincerely,

Ara Papian

NDA Council Member

Former Ambassador of Armenia to Canada

President of “Modus Vivendi” Think Tank

CC: Co-Signatories of October 4, 2023 Congressional Letter