Portantino Urges Colleagues to Oppose Azerbaijan Lobbying Efforts

SACRAMENTO””Senator r Anthony J. Portantino on Wednesday sent out a letter to his Senate and Assembly colleagues in the Capitol urging them to resist increased lobby efforts put forth by the Government of Azerbaijan.

Portantino became alarmed by the increasing presence of the Azeri Government in Sacramento and in Los Angeles. Recently the California Azerbaijan Friendship Association (CAFA) has begun outreach to political and academic leaders in a significant public relations and lobbying effort. And, last year Azerbaijan opposed Portantino’s initiative to create a formal State Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia & Artsakh cooperation.

Senator Portantino has been at the forefront of promoting efforts in Sacramento to advance economic relations between California and Nagorno-Karabakh which is also known as Artsakh.  Given Azeri aggression toward the people of Artsakh, Portantino felt it necessary to share his strong views and give Senators and Assemblymembers a complete picture of events in the region.  Portantino represents the 25th State Senate District which is home to many Armenians who trace their heritage back to Artsakh.

“As the proud representative of the largest Armenian community in the country, I have become quite alarmed by Azeri lobbying efforts in Sacramento. I feel it is important to proactively guard against its influence. As a legislative body, we must unite and fight against attacks on human rights and unprovoked aggression against a peaceful and sovereign country,”