BILL ANALYSIS �
AJR 32
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AJR 32 (Gatto)
As Amended April 28, 2014
Majority vote
RULES 9-1
--------------------------------
|Ayes:|Gordon, Wilk, Brown, |
| |Dababneh, Gonzalez, |
| |Nazarian, Quirk, |
| |Ridley-Thomas, Waldron |
| | |
|-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Ch�vez |
| | |
--------------------------------
SUMMARY : Encourages and supports the Nagorno-Karabakh regions
continuing efforts to develop as a free and independent nation,
and urges the President and Congress of the United States to
support the self-determination and democratic independence of
the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and its constructive involvement
with the international community's efforts to reach a just and
lasting solution to security issues in that strategically
important region. Specifically, this resolution makes the
following legislative findings:
1)Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, has historically been
Armenian territory, populated by an overwhelming majority of
Armenians, and yet was illegally severed from Armenia by the
Soviet Union in 1921 and placed under the newly created Soviet
Azerbaijani administration.
2)February 20, 1988, marked the beginning of the national
liberation movement in Nagorno-Karabakh, which inspired people
throughout the Soviet Union to stand up against tyranny for
their rights and freedoms, helping to bring democracy to
millions and contributing to world peace.
3)The United States Congress has repeatedly expressed support
for the legitimate aspirations for freedom of the people of
Nagorno-Karabakh, and on September 2, 1991, in accordance with
its enacted law, the legislature of Nagorno-Karabakh declared
formation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
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4)On December 10, 1991, the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic voted in favor of independence, and on January 6,
1992, the democratically elected legislature of the republic
formally declared independence.
5)Since proclaiming independence, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
has registered significant progress in democracy building,
which was most recently demonstrated during the July 19, 2012,
presidential elections that were assessed by international
observers as free and transparent.
FISCAL EFFECT : None
COMMENTS :
1)Background: The Nagorno-Karabakh region is located in the
South Caucasus within Azerbaijan and is governed by the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent state that
has controlled the region since a Russian brokered truce and
ceasefire in 1994. Since then, both sides have had soldiers
killed in sporadic breaches of the ceasefire. The Government
of Azerbaijan resents the loss of land they regard as
rightfully theirs while the ethnically Armenian
majority-population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region shows no
sign of willingness to give it back. Despite efforts by the
international community to resolve the dispute, a precarious
stalemate persists. This resolution would support and urge
the President and Congress to support Nagorno-Karabakh's
efforts to develop an independent nation.
2)Arguments in Support: The Armenian Council of America argues:
The Republic of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) is an
integral part of historic Armenia that was arbitrarily
carved out in 1921 by Joseph Stalin and placed under
Soviet Azerbaijani administration, but with autonomous
status, as part of the Soviet divide-and-conquer
strategy in the Caucasus. Nagorno Karabakh has never
been part of an independent Azerbaijani state.
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Declassified Central Intelligence Agency reports
confirm that Nagorno Karabakh is historically Armenian
and maintained even more autonomy than the rest of
Armenia through the centuries. To force Christian
Armenians to be ruled by Muslim Azerbaijan would be to
sanction Joseph Stalin's policies and ensure continued
instability in the region.
3)Arguments in Opposition: Constituents in opposition argue:
Historically governed by the Azerbaijani rulers, the
Karabakh region was conquered by the Russian Empire in
the 19th century. After declaration of the
independent Republic of Azerbaijan on May 28, 1918,
the region became a part of the Azerbaijan Republic.
In 1921, after the Bolshevik occupation of Azerbaijan,
the Soviet authorities decided that the region should
remain part of the Azerbaijan Soviet Republic.
Ignoring the United Nations Security Council
resolutions 822, 853, 874, 884 from 1993, Armenia has
not withdrawn its troops from the occupied territories
till now. Today neither United States nor any other
members of the United Nation recognizes
Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent country.
4)Policy Questions: This resolution raises a fundamental policy
question regarding the role of the California Legislature in
foreign disputes. Should the Assembly Rules Committee and the
Legislature act on such measures when a nexus to the
California economy or political affairs is not clear?
Furthermore, this committee may want to consider whether the
Assembly Rules Committee and the Legislature have the
resources to analyze and make such findings.
Analysis Prepared by : Mukhtar Ali / RLS. / (916) 319-2800
FN: 0003308