Hawaii Recognizes Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s Independence
Hawaii became the seventh state to rally in support of the democratic development and right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh today, voting unanimously to recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.
According to the statement, 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.
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,” stated ANCA WR Executive Director Elen Asatryan.
The Nagorno Karabakh Republic Representative to the U.S. Robert Avetisyan hailed the decision, stating, “I am grateful to the House of Representatives of the State of Hawaii, Representative McKelvey, Representative Mizuno, and all their colleagues who supported this motion. It reinforces Artsakhtsis’ confidence that our achievements do not go unnoticed; that a free and independent Nagorno Karabakh Republic will eventually be recognized as such by the entire civilized community of nations.”
Hawaii joins Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Louisiana, California and, most recently, Georgia in adopting legislation, which supports the independence of Artsakh.
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