01/28/14 - Rep. Pastor submitted a statement for the Congressional Record on Khojaly - 'Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my condolences to the people of Azerbaijan who, on January 20, remember ``Black January.''

On January 19, 1990, the Soviet Union declared a ``State of Emergency'' in Baku and other parts of Azerbaijan , in an attempt to suppress further movements towards independence. In the middle of the night and into January 20, some 26,000 Soviet troops moved into Baku brutalizing and randomly killing the civilian population as they proceeded. Over one hundred Azeris were killed and up to 800 were injured. This brutality, far from crushing the Azerbaijani spirit, steeled their resolve and on October 18, 1991, the Azerbaijan Parliament declared the country's independence, which it retains today.

Azerbaijan had always shown a special desire to be independent. With the fall of the Russian Empire in 1918, Azerbaijan declared its independence and granted voting rights for women, a full year before American women were enfranchised. Today, Azerbaijan is the only former Russian Republic which does not have foreign troops stationed on its soil.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the events of ``Black January'' and the Azeri determination that led to the independent Republic of Azerbaijan we know today.'

02/27/13 - Rep. Pastor submitted a statement for the Congressional Record on Khojaly - 'Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the 21st Anniversary of the Khojaly Tragedy, which occurred in this small town in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on February 25-26, 1992. In the early 1990s, Azerbaijan was involved in a brutal conflict with its neighbor to the West, Armenia, and the repercussions from atrocities committed during that time still impact diplomatic and economic relations today. The Khojaly Tragedy is perhaps the worst single incident that occurred during this time, resulting in hundreds of lives lost, families devastated, and the town destroyed.

Since a cease-fire was negotiated in 1994, these two nations have been locked in a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, located within Azerbaijan but occupied by Armenian forces. The Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which the United States is a co-chair, was created to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to this conflict, yet work remains in reaching this goal.

In December 2012, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Mammadyarov addressed this situation as follows: ``As a result, our relations with Armenia are practically nonexistent. There is also a distinct lack of economic cooperation and trade between our two countries. Azerbaijan wants peace so that we can continue to grow our economy, develop our energy resources and advance our relations with Europe and our neighbors. But Armenia also has a stake in peace with Azerbaijan . The country is isolated in the region largely because of this conflict. It is excluded from all regional infrastructure and energy projects, such as the oil and gas pipelines passing from the Caspian Sea to Turkey and Europe via Georgia, as well as a new railroad line between Azerbaijan and Turkey through Georgia, to be inaugurated this year. When we can agree on lasting peace, Armenia could become a stakeholder in these regional projects.''

A peaceful resolution of this conflict would benefit not only Azerbaijan and Armenia, but would ensure security and economic growth for the South Caucasus region.'