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Last week, as part of the Summer Intern Lecture Series, participants in the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program attended a presentation by the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh's Representative to the United States, Robert Avetisyan, reported the Armenian Assembly of America's (Assembly).

One of the major topics of discussion was the ceasefire violation by Azeri forces on June 4 in the Tavush region of Armenia, as well as along the line of contact in Artsakh on June 6. These attacks, which coincided with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the region, killed 3 Armenian soldiers and wounded five others.

According to reports, an Armenian kindergarten in the border village of Chinari was struck by gunfire. Parandzem Aghasian, the principal of the kindergarten, told the Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty News Service: "When they fire [on the village] they usually hit the kindergarten because it's an easy target. But we keep going about our normal business. We are practically not scared of gunshots, they have become an ordinary thing for us."

In its June 4th letter to Secretary Clinton, the Assembly urged Clinton to roundly condemn Azerbaijan's latest attack and to also fully enforce Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which was enacted by Congress to address Azerbaijan's hostile actions against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Alice Agulian, a graduate of the University of Manchester, who is interning with Policy Forum Armenia, stated: "Having visited the region some years ago, the discussion on Nagorno Karabakh was especially insightful in the view of the most recent cease-fire violations. I have gained an even greater appreciation for the challenges the people of Arstakh face on a daily basis."