Thank You Hawaii
Unanimous Vote a Resounding Support for Artsakh Freedom on Eve of Azerbaijani President Aliyev’s trip with the U.S.
HONOLULU, Hawaii — Hawaii became the seventh state to rally in support of the democratic development and right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh Tuesday, voting unanimously to recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, reported the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR).
The Hawaii House of Representatives consideration of H.R. 167 took place despite enormous pressure from the Azerbaijani Embassy to quash the measure, with the key vote taking place just 24 hours before Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Washington, DC to join President Obama and other world leaders in the nuclear summit.
The historic vote specifically voiced encouragement for Artsakh’s (Nagorno Karabagh) continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation and formally called the internal community to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic as a free, independent, and sovereign democracy.
“Today the people of Hawaii stood on the side of freedom and independence for the people of Artsakh – standing strong against powerful lobbying interests seeking to undermine fundamental American and Armenian principles of democracy and self-determination. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to Representatives Angus McKelvey and John Mizuno for leading this effort and the entire House of Representatives for taking such a strong stance along with our grassroots for their efforts,â€
