By Aram Hamparian
Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America
Meetings such as this with Armenian spiritual leaders hold special meaning for the Armenian faithful, clergy and laity from across America who remain deeply alarmed by the Pashinyan government’s caesaropapist attacks on the legacy of apostolic succession, the ecclesiastical autonomy, and the spiritual sovereignty of the Armenian Church.
Such gatherings are, of course, no substitute for substantive dialogue at the presidential level with our community’s long-established civic institutions, representing Armenian American voters, regarding core Armenian American foreign policy priorities, among them:
• The lack of U.S. leadership to return Artsakh refugees, secure the release of Armenian hostages, force the withdrawal of Azerbaijani occupiers, and protect Christian holy sites.
• The Administration’s green-lighting of U.S. arms and aid to Azerbaijan through the waiver of Section 907, and its failure to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals.
• The President’s retreat from U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, a crime officially recognized by the White House, both chambers of Congress, all 50 states, and more than a dozen NATO allies.
• On a more recent note, the State Department’s refusal to recall U.S. diplomat Amy Carlon for dancing in ethnically cleansed Shushi, celebrating Azerbaijan’s genocide of its indigenous Armenian population.
