ANCA Leaders to Convene at Ronald Reagan Presidential Library for Policy Seminar

Historic Venue for Strategic Dialogue on Pro-Artsakh Priorities at the Local, State and Federal Levels

May 19, 2023

SIMI VALLEY, CA – Leaders of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) from across the United States will gather at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on June 4, 2023 for a high-level strategic dialogue about the security of Artsakh and Armenia.

The ANCA Policy Seminar will feature a series of targeted policy-driven dialogues across a range of subjects aligning with ANCA initiatives, from grassroots political engagement, to communications and media, and electoral and legislative strategies. The seminar will also feature an in-depth discussion of the ANCA’s long-term strategic policy objectives, including the organization’s engagement with key Congressional and Administration branch stakeholders on the following priorities:

— Delivering sustained U.S. pressure on Azerbaijan to end its blockade of Artsakh
— Prohibiting all U.S. arms sales and security assistance to Azerbaijan
— Providing immediate U.S. humanitarian assistance to Artsakh
— Ensuring accountability for Azerbaijan’s ongoing war crimes and human rights abuses
— Securing the release of Armenian POWs illegally detained and tortured by Azerbaijan
— Defining Armenia’s security as the highest U.S.-Armenia bilateral priority
— Recognizing the Artsakh Republic’s inalienable right to self-determination

The invitation-only program will include presentations by respected experts across the fields of government and public relations, in addition to roundtable discussions and advocacy workshops. The seminar will bring together ANCA activists from across the United States, and provide a platform for community leaders to gain insights and share their own experience into the most effective approaches for promoting grassroots political engagement, building momentum behind state and regional policy priorities, and advancing our community’s federal legislative priorities through sustained advocacy.

“This policy seminar will serve as an opportunity to further empower the Armenian-American community’s activism at the local, regional and federal levels,” remarked ANCA National Board Member Aida Dimejian. “By bringing together activists from across the nation – from ANCA veterans, to the next generation of our community’s leadership – the ANCA Policy Seminar will be a vital opportunity for us to focus our community’s collective efforts on the security of Artsakh.”

The seminar, which will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, will feature focused discussions on U.S. policy towards the South Caucasus. Participants will explore measures to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its blockade of Artsakh and assault on sovereign Armenian territory, by exploring new avenues of enforcing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, enacting statutory prohibitions on U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan under Section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act – which mandates strict Congressional oversight over military and security aid to Azerbaijan – and ensuring the delivery of the humanitarian assistance strategy mandated by ANCA-backed amendments to the 2023 foreign aid bill to aid the victims of the 2020 Artsakh War.

The ANCA Policy Seminar will build upon a legacy of ANCA service to the cause of Armenian liberty that dates back more than a century, leveraging robust youth programs, vast grassroots reach in all 50 states, vigorous community engagement, and resilient coalition partnerships. The ANCA, as a grassroots Armenian American organization deeply anchored in the community, actively renews and reinvents the Armenian Cause. The ANCA remains aligned with our enduring national aspirations – the security and survival of the Armenian homeland – while constantly updating our policy priorities and advocacy tactics to adapt to and overcome the challenges of a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.

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