GLENDALE–Nagorno-Karabakh Republic President Bako Sahakian visited the Western US ARF Central Committee’s Peshekrian Center Thursday. He was accompanied by the permanent representative of Karabakh in Washington Vartan Barseghian.
President Sahakian was greeted at the entrance by ARF Bureau member Dr. Vicken Hovsepian, ARF Western US Central Committee Chairman Avedik Izmirlian who accompanied him on the tour of the center and meetings with the organizational representatives.
Their first stop was the offices of the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region, where Sahakian met with the Board of Directors, which provided an update of the organization’s activities related to raising awareness of issues.
This briefing focused on recent efforts to urge the U.S. State Department to correct the inaccurate language incorporated into the 2006 human rights report that referred to Armenia as an occupying power in Karabakh; helping to secure continued and direct aid to Karabakh in the Fiscal Year 2008 Foreign Aid Bill in the United States Congress; working to help lift the barriers imposed on Karabakh through public health, democracy-building and market reform efforts; and the importance of passing H.Res.106 (the Armenian Genocide Resolution) for Armenia’s around the world.
Sahakian also toured the offices of the Hamazkayine Cultural Association, the Armenian Youth Federation Western US Central Executive, the Board of Regents of Armenian Schools and other staff and organizational representatives.
Following the tour, President Sahakian met with ARF Central Committee at which time the president briefed the members on recent developmen’s in Karabakh. The ARF Central Committee members also reported on some of the activities in the Western US directed toward strengthening Karabakh’s statehood.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the ARF Central Committee presented President Sahakian with a memento.
