Ottawa – The Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia met in St. Petersburg, Russia on Thursday June 17 at a trilateral presidential summit on Nagorno-Karabakh held at Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s initiative. The following day, on June 18, Azeri forces launched an attack on positions in Mardakert (in Nagorno-Karabagh), killing four Karabakh soldiers and wounding as many. On Monday June 21 The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defence Ministry reported that skirmishes continued throughout the weekend. Azeri forces have violated the 1994 cease fire some 284 times.

Yerevan was quick to condemn the attacks describing them as “provocation” against Armenians and the peace process. The President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sarkisian, said that “Provocations are always inadmissible, however, this inhumane action was all the more unacceptable, since it occurred a few hours after the trilateral meeting held at Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s initiative.” The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian stated that “...it’s not Armenia that makes bellicose statements, calls for war, it’s not Armenia that organized that provocation on the border and inside the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s territory. It’s not Armenia that rejected a proposal to reinforce the ceasefire regime which was made by the OSCE Minsk Group.”

This aggression occurred a week before a joint declaration by the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group’s Co-Chair countries, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, U.S. President Barack Obama, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. On June 26 they called Azerbaijan and Armenia to abide to a peaceful settlement of the issue. The statement read among others that “...We instruct our Ministers and Co-Chairs to work intensively to assist the two sides to overcome their differences in preparation for a joint meeting in Almaty on the margins of OSCE Informal Ministerial.”

The Armenian National Committee of Canada is utterly disgusted of this new wave of Azeri aggression against Nagorno-Karabagh and Azeri rejection of a peaceful solution of the Karabagh issue. Dr. Girair Basmadjian, the President of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, commented on this issue, he stated that “The world has once again witnessed who the real aggressors are, the ones who ethnically cleansed Armenians on several occasions, in Azerbaijan proper from 1988 to 1990 (in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku), and in Nagorno-Karabakh (such as in Maraghar in 1992). Azerbaijan, is the one that keeps accusing the defender, Armenia, of occupying Azeri territory while it was Azerbaijan that attacked Karabagh first and Armenians defended themselves. The world has also witnessed that the real aggressor, Azerbaijan, continues to refuse the peaceful solution of the conflict of Nagorno-Karabagh.” “The repeated bellicose war-mongering both by the President and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan should not be ignored by mediators and the international community.” added Dr. Basmadjian.

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The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of issues.

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Le CNAC est l'organisation politique canadienne-arménienne la plus large et influentielle. Collaborant avec une série de bureaux, chapitres et souteneurs à travers le Canada et des organisations affiliées à travers le monde, le CNAC s'occupe activement des inquiétudes de la communauté canadienne-arménienne.