SACRAMENTO, CA – Calls for Karabakh freedom were heard across the California State Capitol yesterday as Armenian Americans from throughout the state converged to protest an Azerbaijani Parliamentary and State Oil Company (SOCAR) delegation visit to the CA State Senate, reported the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region.

“The California State Senate is a great seat of American democracy, and certainly no place for grandstanding by representatives of Aliyev’s dictatorial regime,” said ANCA External Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. “The California Armenian community looks forward to speaking with each and every legislator in the upcoming weeks and at the annual April 15th advocacy event to present the true face of Azerbaijan and strengthen the bonds between the Golden State, Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.”

California State Assemblymen Katcho Achadjian (R), Adrin Nazarian (D), Jim Patterson (R) and Scott Wilk (R) joined the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF) and ANCA-WR led protest, which included broad participation by the United Young Armenians (UYA), local Armenian Student Associations, the ANCA Sacramento, St. James Armenian Church Pastor Fr. Asoghig Jamgochian and a cross section of the burgeoning Armenian community in the State’s Capital. ANCA and AYF Chapters in Southern California, the San Francisco – Bay Area and Central California had bused in activists from the across the state.

Click here for images from the protest posted to the ANCA Facebook page.

“I am proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder with Assemblymembers Nazarian, Wilk, and Patterson and Armenian Americans from throughout the State to protest the Azeri government’s aggression and efforts to use its oil wealth to purchase international legitimacy,” said Assemblyman Achadjian. “I would also like to thank ANCA-WR and AYF for helping organize the event.”

Assemblyman Nazarian concurred, noting, “Twenty-five years after Azerbaijan’s attacks against innocent Armenians in Sumgait and the subsequent pogroms in Baku, Kirovabad and Maragha, threats and aggression against Armenia and Artsakh continue. Welcoming representatives of Aliyev’s repressive regime sends all the wrong messages to Baku, interferes with broader U.S. calls for democratic reforms in Azerbaijan, and undermines international efforts toward a peaceful resolution of regional issues.”

Assemblyman Wilk noted that, “The California State Capitol is no place for representatives of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime to whitewash the ongoing attacks against Armenia and Karabakh and crackdown against voices of democracy in their own country. I am proud to stand with the California Armenian American community in support of Karabakh’s right to self-determination and freedom.”

The Azerbaijani delegation included four parliamentarians and three representatives of SOCAR. Bay Area State Senator Leland Yee (D) reportedly walked off the Senate floor in protest, when a brief ceremony was held in honor of the Azerbaijani parliamentarians. Diamond Bar Republican Bob Huff introduced the group, praising Azerbaijan’s democratic tradition, followed by remarks by delegation leader Samad Seyidov, who offered glowing praise of the “shared values” between California and Azerbaijan.

“Just one day before their CA State Senate visit, the Aliyev regime used water-canons and rubber bullets to disperse a peaceful demonstration in Baku,” said AYF member, Sevag Tchekidjian. “Those certainly aren’t the values and democratic tradition that California or anyone in the U.S. should be sharing or condoning.”

The ANCA has released a thirty-second video, titled “Americans to Aliyev: Violence is not a U.S. Value” juxtaposing Seyidov’s claims of Azerbaijan’s commitment to “tolerance, secularism, fighting against fundamentalism, democracy…” with images of brutal police crackdowns against dissenters in that country.

The video is available on the ANCA YouTube page.

Later in the evening, several CA State Senators hosted a dinner with their Azerbaijani guests and high-priced Azerbaijani government lobbyists at the Sutter Club, where the Armenian American protest took place. State Senators Marty Block (D), Bill Emmerson (R), Ted Gaines (R), Ted Lieu (D), Fran Pavley (D) and Board of Equalization member George Runner and his wife, former Senator Sharon Runner, were reportedly seen entering the Sutter Club during the Azerbaijani Delegation event.

The April 15th ANCA-WR Advocacy Day will be an opportunity for Armenians across the Great State of California to attend the annual Genocide commemoration and speak to their legislators about issues that are of concern to the Armenian American community, including the Azerbaijani delegation visit to the Capitol. This year, participants will also be able to see a month long exhibit featuring inventions by Armenians who have contributed to the thriving California culture.

For more information, and to register, visit: http://www.itsmyseat.com/ancawr

Photo Captions:

ANCA_AYF_protest_031113_web.jpg: A scene from the AYF and ANCA led protest against Azerbaijani aggression at the California State Capitol

ANCAprotest_legislators_web.jpg: A bi-partisan group of CA State legislators joined Armenian American protesters against Azerbaijani aggression. Pictured here (from l to r): ANCA Sacramento Chair Richard Kazandjian, Assemblyman Jim Patterson, Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, Fr. Asoghig Jamgochian, Assemblyman Scott Wilk, Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian and ANCA Western Region External Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan