Azerbaijani students confront Levon Marashlian's unscholarly hoopla at UC Irvine

IRVINE, CA - On November 15, 2012, the Armenian Studies program at the University of California Irvine (UCI) hosted Levon Marashlian, professor of History at Glendale Community College, for a presentation titled "The Karabakh Conflict From Ceasefire to Safarov: Analysis Via Television NewsCoverage: 1990s to 2012”.  The moderator of the event was Touraj Daryaee, professor of Persian Studies at UC Irvine, who recently wrote an article denying Azerbaijani national identity. Daryaee is also one of the contributors to UCI Armenian Studies program. 

 

Azerbaijani-Americans congratulate President Obama on his re-election

NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES - Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC) and Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) congratulate President Barack Obama on the occasion of his confident re-election victory on November 6, 2012. We also commend Governor Mitt Romney for a well-organized campaign and wish him success in his future endeavors.

Azerbaijani Student Association established at the University of California

IRVINE, CALIF. - AAC and ASA welcome the official registration of the Azerbaijani Student Association at the University of California Irvine (AzSA@UCI) on October 23, 2012. 

AzSA@UCI is the first registered Azerbaijani student association on the U.S. West Coast and within the University of California (UC) system. Over the coming year, AzSA@UCI will organize educational and social activities aimed at raising awareness of Azerbaijan and its rich historical and cultural heritage on campus. The organization plans on expanding to other UC campuses as well.

ASA celebrates its 55th anniversary at the famous U.S. landmark

NEW YORK - On October 18, 2012, in celebration of its 55th anniversary and the 21st anniversary of Azerbaijani Independence Day, Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) organized a reception at the landmark Empire State Building in New York. The nearly 100 attendees at the reception included high-ranking diplomats from Azerbaijan, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, representatives from various New York-based governmental, non-governmental and business organizations, CBS News and other media groups, Azerbaijani, Turkish and Jewish communities, students from Columbia and New York Universities.

 

PRNewswire: Armenia Has Lost The War

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following article is being released by Nasimi Aghayev, Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles:

The OSCE's Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the United States, has been tasked for the last 20 years with mediating a resolution to the protracted conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Group's most recent attempt to broker a solution came on September 27 when the co-chairs met with the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in New York.

AAC officers attend Armenian Foreign Minister's speech at LAWAC

LOS ANGELES - On September 24, 2012, several AAC officers attended the presentation by the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council (LAWAC). In his speech, Mr. Nalbandian talked about the ongoing status of negotiations for the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. 

During the subsequent Q&A session, an AAC officer noted that Armenia has  been neglecting the UN Security Council Resolutions regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict for nearly 20 years. He questioned when Armenia will fulfill those obligations, ceasing the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and allowing for the return of over 800,000 displaced Azerbaijanis to their homes. AAC officer also asked whether the so-called "people of Karabakh" that Mr. Nalbandian has oft-referred to in his speech included Azerbaijanis, who prior to the conflict comprised third of Nagorno-Karabakh region's population. 

Congressman Rohrabacher introduces resolution supporting the rights of Azeris in Iran

“The Azeri people have an innate right to choose their own political structure and to choose their country,” said Rohrabacher. “It is not up to bureaucrats in Washington or the mullah dictatorship in Iran. The ethnic Azeri’s in Azerbaijan enjoy sovereignty and independence; there is no reason why the Azeri population in Iran should not be able to make that same choice. This principle holds true for all the people who live in Iran.” 

Azerbaijani-Americans remember 9/11

NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES - Eleven years ago, on this day, the United States and the world had experienced a horrific act of terrorism against our way of life. The coordinated suicide attacks by Al Qaeda on the World Trade Center towers in New York and the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C. resulted in a total of 2,977 innocent deaths. Thousands of Americans and other nationals lost their loved ones during 9/11, a memory that cannot be erased from our minds. 

Interview with ASA President regarding Ramil Safarov's release

News.Az interviews Tomris Azeri, President of Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) and the co-founder of the Pax Turcica Institute (PTI) about the Azerbaijani-American reaction to the recent release of Ramil Safarov 

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- How did Azerbaijani-Americans react to the extradition of Ramil Safarov by the Hungarian authorities and his release to freedom in Azerbaijan?

Generally, Ramil Safarov's extradition from Hungary and pardon in Azerbaijan is a legal matter that would be properly assessed by the legal experts. But leaving those specifics aside, many Azerbaijani-Americans and ASA members reacted sympathetically to the fact of Safarov's release.

Deadly earthquake in East Azerbaijan region of Iran

Members of Azerbaijani-American Council and Azerbaijan Society of America join all Azerbaijanis in grieving for the victims of the recent powerful earthquakes in East Azerbaijan province of Iran on Saturday, August 12, 2012. According to international news sources, at least 250 people were killed and over 2,000 were injured during the two magnitude 6.4 earthquakes that hit the towns and villages near the historic city of Tabriz.

With our hearts and minds on the side of our South Azerbaijani brethren, we call upon the Iranian authorities, all relevant international organizations and Azerbaijani communities abroad to assist survivors in need of emergency aid in the earthquake-affected areas.

The New York Senate recognizes Azerbaijani Genocide

We are pleased to inform that Azerbaijani-American Council has received an official copy of the New York State Senate resolution 3784 - the first-ever legislative recognition of the Azerbaijani Genocide - that also designated March 31 as Azerbaijani Remembrance Day in the State of New York. The resolution 3784, introduced by State Senator James Alesi of Rochester, New York (NY-55th district) and adopted in the Senate as a result of efforts by the members of Azerbaijan Society of America and Azerbaijani-American Council, details the facts of horrific massacres committed by Bolshevik and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnak party) forces led by Stepan Shaumyan against Azerbaijani civilians in March 1918 and designates these acts as a genocide.

Azerbaijani-Americans celebrate July 4th

Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC) joins all Azeri-Americans in celebration of the U.S. Independence Day, July 4th. 236 years ago on this day, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the independence of American colonies from Great Britain. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson as its principal author, the Declaration of Independence provided for unalienable rights of Americans to "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness". For over two centuries, these basic but fundamental rights attracted millions of people around the world to call America a new home. Consequently, these words of Jefferson also defined our nation, a land of free people of diverse cultures and faiths, all pursuing their own American dream.

Recognition of Azerbaijan's first democracy pride for all Azerbaijani-Americans

News.Az interview with Javid Huseynov, Ph.D., General Director of AAC and co-founder of Pax Turcica Institute. 

May 28th was formally recognized in several U.S. states. Some states earlier recognized other important dates in Azerbaijani history. What is the role of Azerbaijani diaspora in this direction?

The establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) 94 years ago was one of the most important events in the history of Azerbaijani nation. The significance of May 28th is not only about the formation of a modern Azerbaijani statehood, but also about the universal values and democratic principles upon which that statehood was formulated.

Greetings on the occasion of International Women's Day

On March 8, Azerbaijanis in the U.S. and around the world celebrate the International Women's Day.(IWD). Observed for the first time in the United States in 1909, it became an international holiday of women in Azerbaijan as well. Year 2012 marks the 101st anniversary of the first world-wide celebration of the IWD.

Historically, women played an important role in a traditionally Muslim Azerbaijani society. In fact, in 1919, ahead of the United States and the United Kingdom, the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) voted to extend universal suffrage rights to women. Few years later, a Statue of Liberated Woman was erected in capital Baku to symbolize  the emancipation of women in Azerbaijani society.

Azerbaijani-Americans rally against ACR 96 in Sacramento

SACRAMENTO, CA - On February 23, 2012, the Azerbaijani-American community in California, led by Azerbaijani-American Council (AAC) and Northern Azerbaijan Cultural Society of America (NACSA), held a public rally at the California State Capitol, to protest against the Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 96 under consideration in the State Assembly. Introduced by Assemblymen Felipe Fuentes (D-CA), Katcho Achadjian (R-CA), and Mike Gatto (D-CA), ACR 96 seeks to designate February 27, 2012, as a so-called "California Day of Remembrance for the Massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku”.