[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[Congressional Record: September 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
LIFT THE EMBARGO ON ARMENIA AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH
(Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues about my
recent trip to Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, and Azerbaijan and to submit
a copy of my report into the Record. I traveled to the region to view
firsthand the situation in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and to meet
with government officials on both sides of the conflict. This region is
largely forgotten but desperately needy.
I saw horrible conditions. Doctors are operating without anesthesia
using only a stiff dose of cognac. Land mines planted by the retreating
Azeri army have caused injury and amputation of limbs of women and
children as well as soldiers. People are living in hazardous partially
bombed-out apartment buildings in the cities and in lean-tos among the
debris of totally demolished villages in the rural areas.
But the governments on both sides want resolution. I think the
administration should appoint a special envoy and put pressure on the
governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan to lift the embargo on Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh to allow resources, including electricity, to begin
flowing into the region. The winter will be harsh and hundreds will die
if this blockade continues.
Let us not forget the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Mr. Speaker, I am inserting at this point in the Record a copy of the
report of my trip to Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia, and Azerbaijan as
follows:
Report of Congressman Frank R. Wolf (Member of CSCE) Trip to Nagorno-
Karabakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan, August, 1994.
As part of a delegation organized by Christian Solidarity
International I recently traveled to Nagorno Karabakh,
Armenia and Azerbaijan to view firsthand the situation in the
disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh and to meet with
officials on both sides of the continuing conflict. The
Nagorno-Karabakh leg of the visit was led by Baroness
Caroline Cox of the House of Lords, U.K. who was bringing
humanitarian relief supplies from the British people and
volunteer construction workers and nurses to the beleaguered
area. Representatives of Christian Solidarity International
and members of British media were also in our group.
Background
Nagorno-Karabakh is a mountainous region within the
boundaries of the country of Azerbaijan very near the
Armenian border. In 1921 Stalin, then Comissar for
Nationality Affairs in the Transcaucasia Bureau of the
Communist Party, declared Nagorno-Karabakh to be an
autonomous region controlled by Azerbaijan as part of his
divide and rule policy for nationalities. Historically, the
majority of the population has been Armenian and the people
have always had close ethnic, religious and familial ties
with Armenia. So with the breakup of the Soviet Union, the
Karabakh Armenians in 1987 petitioned for inclusion of
Nagorno-Karabakh in the state of Armenia. In 1991, they
petitioned for independent state status.
Azerbaijan considered this petition to be a matter of
territorial integrity and refused to allow it. In 1988, large
demonstrations were held by Armenians both in Nagorno-
Karabakh and Armenia. With Karabakh Armenians insisting on
independence and Azerbaijan insisting that Nagorno-Karabakh
is Azeri territory with the Karabakhis in internal rebellion,
the stalemate has escalated into a full-scale war over the
past six years.
The result has been immense suffering on both sides and
numerous incidents of atrocities. Thousands of Armenian
Karabakhs and Azeris have been killed and wounded.
Deportations and resettlements for ethnic cleansing have
taken place. There are over one million refugees and
internally displaced persons, villages destroyed in both
Nagorno-Karabakh and nearby areas of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
and its ally Turkey have blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh and
Armenia cutting shipments of all supplies and resources,
including electricity. During our Nagorno-Karabakh visit,
there was no hot water at all and sporadic periods of
electric blackouts. In Armenia there is electricity only a
few hours every day. Feeling pushed and surrounded, Armenia
has reluctantly accepted the return of Russian military
troops to its soil. To date the Azerbaijanis have resisted
the offer of Russian troops.
Currently the Karabakh Armenians have the upper hand
militarily. There has been a ceasefire in effect since May
which has allowed some negotiations to go forward.
There is a struggle over the peace process. The CSCE, on
which I serve, created the Minsk Group to come up with a
plan. The Russians have made their own proposal. Neither
Nagorno-Karabakh or Azerbaijan appear to be satisfied with
either plan.
observations
Armenia is committed to the Nagorno-Karabakh struggle for
independence. Even after suffering six years of war, the
Karabakhis are determined to go on until they gain
independence from Azerbaijan, as one person said, ``for every
last man, woman and child of Nagorno-Karabakh.'' The people
of Nagorno-Karabakh have lived in war conditions and endured
many losses and deprivations, yet they show great resilience.
They are very hospitable and make do with what they have,
even sharing their meager possessions. While fervently
wishing for peace, they remain ready to continue their
struggle.
There is widespread destruction throughout Nagorno-
Karabakh, but some rebuilding has begun among the rubble
despite the expectation by many Karabakhis that the ceasefire
will end and an Azeri offensive will start.
The food, medicine and shelter needs in Nagorno-Karabakh
are great. Doctors told us of surgery done without anesthesia
using only a stiff dose of local cognac. Land mines planted
by retreating Azerbaijanis have caused injury necessitating
amputation of limbs of women and children as well as
soldiers. Because of the ceasefire, some supplies have
recently come in to Nagorno-Karabakh and the growth of
summertime local crops have sustained the people somewhat.
But the living conditions are still bleak. We saw people
living in hazardous partially bombed-out apartment buildings
in the cities of Stepanakert and Shusha and found rural
peasants living in lean-tos amid the debris of totally
demolished villages and virtually deserted villages.
I am greatly concerned about the hardships that the winter
will cause these people, as winters are severe in this
mountainous region.
Compounding the plight of Nagorno-Karabakh has been the
absence of outside international attention. Since it is a
blockaded enclave within hostile Azeri territory, Nagorno-
Karabakh is effectively shut off from entry by outsiders.
Movement into and out of Nagorno-Karabakh is nearly
impossible. Also, since it is still officially part of
Azerbaijan and disputed territory, U.S. officials (because
the U.S. maintains diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan) are
not allowed to visit Nagorno-Karabakh.
Other than Baroness Caroline Cox of the British House of
Lords, who has made 21 visits to Nagorno-Karabakh, no Western
officials have had sustained contact with the enclave. The
U.S. State Department has de-emphasized resolution of the
conflict by replacing former negotiator John Maresca, who
focused only on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and retired
earlier this year, with a representative assigned to monitor
all ethnic conflicts in the former Soviet republics.
Aside from some assistance funneled to Nagorno-Karabakh
from Armenia (including aid from the world wide Armenian
community), we heard that the only international groups
assisting in Nagorno-Karabakh are the International Red Cross
monitoring the war situation and prisoners of war, the French
Medicines Sans Frontiers, and Christina Solidarity
International who have provided some humanitarian aid.
The Azerbaijanis are also suffering greatly from this war.
Their officials report a million Azeri refugees and
internally displaced persons scattered in ill-equipped camps
throughout Azerbaijan. They have lost access to the crops
grown in Nagorno-Karabakh which supplied one-third of their
total grain needs. We heard stories (one from an Azeri
prisoner of war) that young Azeri men are being conscripted
into military service right off the streets.
The war effort has seriously hampered economic conditions
and development of Azerbaijan's vast natural resources such
as oil. Continued instability caused by the war may cause
Western companies to lose interest in investing in
Azerbaijan's resources.
We met with a group of private voluntary organizations who
are actively supplying aid to Azeri refugees and IDPs, but
they reported that their combined efforts do not meet the
needs of the people.
CONCLUSIONS
While the parties involved must reach agreement among
themselves, the U.S. clearly has a role to play in aiding the
peace process.
The U.S. should have a full-time special envoy working on
this problem, taking an active role in bringing the parties
together for resolution. There should be no U.S. military
involvement.
The West should understand that Nagorno-Karabakh has every
right to expect some form of independence based upon agreed
to borders.
The U.S. should do everything possible to encourage
Azebaijan and Turkey to lift their blockades which are
causing untold misery. Lifting the blockade may be the key to
unlocking the peace process.
I believe introduction of Russian troops is a mistake. I
see this as a means for them to re-establish their sphere of
influence in the region. Russian troops are now present in
Georgia, Moldova and Armenia and are interested in entering
Azerbaijan. We need to be sure that the CIS (Confederation of
Independent States) does not become the FIS (Formerly
Independent States) and that these countries maintain their
independence.
More PVO's should be encouraged to be active in Armenia,
Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan to help the suffering people
of all three areas.
While I favor continuation of Section 907 of the Freedom
Support Act until the blockades are lifted, I believe there
must be some flexibility in the enforcement so the PVOs have
the ability to help the people in Azerbaijan. The PVOs
providing needed assistance have been hampered by too strict
interpretation of the 907 language.
Private groups should be encouraged to help with
deactivating the many hidden land mines which remain in
Nagorno-Karabakh causing continued maiming of the civilian
population.
Its important for leaders of all sides to resolve this
issue because the people are suffering so much and because
the region has great opportunity to flourish. There should be
a bright future because of the natural resources of the area
as well as the personal qualities of the people of both
countries.
Meetings
nagorno-karabakh
Zori Balayan, Writer and member of Nagorno-Karabakh
parliament.
Karon Barbourian, Speaker of Nagorno-Karabakh parliament.
Azeri prisoners-of-war.
armenia
Serge Sarkissian, Minister of Defense.
Gragik Haratounian, Vice President of Armenia.
Robert Robinson, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees
representative.
Robert McClendon, U.S. Peace Corps Director in Armenia.
John Lynn, TACIS representative (European Union's technical
assistance program).
Harry Gilmore, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia.
Edith Khachatourian, Director of Yerevan office of Armenia
Assembly of America.
Azerbaijan
Heydar Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan.
Hassan Hassanov, Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Rasul Quliyev, Speaker of Parliament.
Ramig Maharrouisi, Azeri refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh,
doctor, Chief of Shusha clinic for refugees in Baku.
Representatives from PVOs: Save the Children--Lutful Kabir
and Mike Kendellen; Inter. Federation of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent--Daniel Valle and John Maim; U.N. World Food
Programme--Ann Hudacek; CARE-USA--G.S. Azam; World Vision
International--Keith Buck; Relief International--Mary Taylor;
International Rescue Committee--Richard Jacquot; and
U.N.H.C.R.--Yan Long.
Richard D. Kauzlarich, U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan.
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