‘Stop the bloodshed’
Residents rally to support Armenian Christians during ongoing violence
GREENWICH — Demanding greater focus on an international crisis, close to 75 people gathered outside of Town Hall late Wednesday afternoon to show their support for Armenia during the nation’s ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan.
The rally turned the spotlight on Artsakh, the disputed region under Azerbaijani attack, with Turkey’s military and diplomatic support, since late September. The Armenian and American flags were held up by attendees along with signs saying “We want peace,” “Silence fuels Azeri violence” and “Speak up, Stop another genocide” before prayers were offered
“We are urging the United States to take decisive action to stop the bloodshed, secure a cease-fire and help prevent another attempted genocide.” Alyssa Keleshian, rally organizer
and the Armenian flag was raised outside Town Hall.
The current attacks on Artsakh’s Christian Armenian population were linked to the 1914-23 genocide in which 1.5 million Armenians were murdered and displaced out of Turkey and adjoining regions by the Ottoman government.
“Now we are really watching it happen (again) live,” Van Krikorian, the co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America, a founding member of the Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission, said at the rally. “We’re watching churches get bombed. We’re watching mothers and children trying to teach school in basements that are getting bombed and we’re watching an unrelenting attack from the most sophisticated weaponry that’s been used in any war to date.”
Clashes have been active between the two sides since the summer. They have left Armenia fighting for its existence “against the threat of two authoritarian dictatorships,” said rally organizer, and Greenwich resident, Alyssa Keleshian.
“We are urging the United
States to take decisive action to stop the bloodshed, secure a cease-fire and help prevent another attempted genocide,” Keleshian said. “Given the egregious attacks, we are urging the U.S. to cease all military assistance to Azerbaijan and to sanction Turkey.”
Active conflict in Artsakh, which is also known as NagornoKarabakh, has been claiming the lives of civilians. A cease fire was put into effect over the weekend but it has already been broken and there have been international calls, including from the United Nations, to stop the fighting.
Krikorian, who is a former town resident, said not enough was being done by the American government. The U.S. is not supposed to allocate more money to Azerbaijan than it does for Armenia but he said because of oil and the strategic importance of Azerbaijan and Turkey, that policy is not being followed.
“This is outrageous,” Kirkorian said. “These are our tax dollars.
The principles the Congress established was that military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan should be equal. But this administration has gone beyond that, well beyond that, and is turning a blind eye not only to Azerbaijan’s enormous armament but also Turkey’s intervention.”
According to figures published in Newsweek, U.S military aid to Azerbaijan was $100 million in 2018-19 and Armenia received $4.2 million in 2018. Congress has allowed for more money to be sent to Azerbaijan when its stated purpose is fighting terrorism, providing a loophole in the Congressional requirement that the allocations be equal.
Keleshian and her family have put together yearly ceremonies at Town Hall to mark the Armenian genocide. First Selectman Fred Camillo and Selectwoman Jill Oberlander both attended Wednesday’s rally and Camillo offered his support in remarks.
“We stand here in solidarity
with our Armenian friends and residents here in town,” Camillo said. “We certainly know our history and this is something that’s never far from the minds of anyone who cares for humanity and certainly the Greenwich community is built up of so many great, diverse ethnicities.”
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Greenwich resident, sent a statement saying the United States “must support diplomatic efforts advancing a peaceful resolution of the long-standing conflict.”