Yesterday, by a vote of 4-0, with one abstention, the Orange County (California) Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution recognizing the Republic of Artsakh and condemned Turkish and Azerbaijani Aggression Against the Armenian People.
Orange County is home to over 3 million residents.
The text of the resolution reads as follows:
WHEREAS, the County of Orange has declared April 24th a day of remembrance for the 1.5 million Armenians killed in a Genocide committed by the Ottoman Turks;
WHEREAS, the County of Orange opposes all forms of hate, crimes against humanity, and any attempt to continue the Genocide of the Armenian people;
WHEREAS, on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan and Turkey launched a large-scale military, premediated offensive against Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh with the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and civilian infrastructure that has resulted in the loss of innocent life and the displacement of thousands more;
WHEREAS, the Republic of Artsakh, a historic Armenian province, was liberated from Azerbaijan by Armenians in 1994 and has since maintained all the characteristics of a free country;
WHEREAS, the Republic of Artsakh has developed democratic institutions, fostered a pluralist political system, and, over the past quarter century, held parliamentary and Presidential elections that have been rated as free and fair by international observers, despite the constant threat of military incursion by Azerbaijani forces;
WHEREAS, international recognition of a country’s right to self-determination is the only way to ensure its people will be able to voice their legitimate concerns and support peaceful settlement of conflicts on the world stage;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Orange County Board of Supervisors does hereby
(1) Condemn the September 27, 2020, military offensive launched by Azerbaijan and Turkey on Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh;
(2) Calls upon all parties to halt attacks on civilian populations, and allow unfettered access for humanitarian and emergency aid to civilians in need of such assistance; and
J(3) Recognizes the Republic of Artsakh’s inalienable right to self-determination, as a free and sovereign nation.
