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Home My WebLink About60A - RESO DENOUNCING ATTACKS ON ARTSAKHREQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: NOVEMBER 17, 2020 TITLE: ADOPT RESOLUTION DENOUNCING THE ATTACKS ON ARTSAKH BY AZERBAIJAN, DEMANDING A CESSATION OF ALL AZERI HOSTILE ACTION, AFFIRMING THE RIGHTS OF ALL CITIZENS IN ARTSAKH, SUPPORTING THE RIGHT TO SELF- DETERMINATION AND INDEPENDENCE OF ARTASKH, AND URGING THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS TO DO THE SAME CLERK OF COUNCIL USE ONLY: ❑ As Recommended ❑ As Amended ❑ Ordinance on 1 sl Reading ❑ Ordinance on 2od Reading ❑ Implementing Resolution ❑ Set Public Hearing For_ CONTINUED TO /s/ Kristine Ridge FILE NUMBER CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDED ACTION Adopt a resolution denouncing the attacks on the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan. DISCUSSION At the October 20, 2020 meeting, members of the City Council directed staff to issue a proclamation denouncing the attacks on Artsakh, and to return to the City Council at the November 17, 2020 meeting with a resolution, doing the same, for their consideration. Below is a timeline of recent aggression that has taken place in Artsakh. 1980s and 1990s Both Armenia and Azerbaijan were part of the former Soviet Union, until the Soviet Union 1�TM-Me prmxeff M1110010111111 • Armenia and Azerbaijan border each other, with Armenia on the left and Azerbaijan on the right. • The entire region of Nagorno-Karabakh lies within the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan. • Beginning with the dissolution process, Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in an armed conflict over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh (also referred to as "Artsakh", the region's historic name), which is inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians, along with seven surrounding districts, which was inhabited mostly by Azerbaijanis until their expulsion during the Nagorno-Karabakh War (which took place from 1988 to 1994). • In 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians demanded that Nagorno-Karabakh be transferred from Soviet Azerbaijan to Soviet Armenia. • In December 1991, ethnic Armenian leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh declared their independence, self -proclaiming their region as the "Republic of Artsakh." The Republic of Artsakh is not an internationally recognized sovereign state. Although it has its own 60A-1 Resolution Denouncing the Attacks on Artsakh by Azerbaijan November 17, 2020 Page 2 government, (a presidential democracy with a unicameral legislature), it relies on the government of Armenia and functions as a part of Armenia. • Azerbaijan rejects Nagorno-Karabakh's independence. • In 1992, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe formed the Minsk Group, with Russia, France and the U.S. in charge of finding a diplomatic solution in Nagorno- Karabakh. Negotiations halted in 2011. 1994-2020 99.7% of Nagorno-Karabakh's current population (total population is approx.. 150,000) are ethnic Armenians, with Armenian as the primary spoken language. The religion in Nagorno- Karabakh is majority -Christian (mostly affiliated with the Armenian Apostolic Church). A ceasefire had been in place in the region since 1994, although armed conflicts involving Armenia and Azerbaijan have taken place in and around Nagorno-Karabakh from time to time (notably, an escalation took place in 2016, where approximately 350 people died). Today: 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict • According to the Office of the President of the Republic of Artsakh, hostilities commenced when Azerbaijani armed forces launched artillery and aerial strikes against civilian settlements, including the capital, Stepanakert. • Civilian and military casualties have been high, officially in the hundreds and possibly in the low thousands, with casualty claims not having been independently verified. Civilian areas, including major cities, have been hit, including Azerbaijan's second-largest city, Ganja, and the region's capital, Stepanakert, with many buildings and homes destroyed. • Representatives of countries, as well as the United Nations, are calling for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The attached resolution (Exhibit 1), if approved, would formally express the City Council's sentiment on this matter. Specifically, the resolution would express the following: • That the City Council calls upon President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to condemn Azerbaijan unequivocally for its latest violation of the ceasefire and demands an immediate and permanent cessation of all Azeri hostile action. • That the City Council affirms the rights of all citizens in the Republic of Artsakh, supports the right to self-determination and independence of the Artaskh Republic, and respectfully urges the President and Congress of the United States to do the same. FISCAL IMPACT There is no fiscal impact associated with this action. Submitted By: Kristine Ridge, City Manager Exhibit: 1. Resolution 60A-2 RESOLUTION 2020-XXX A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DENOUNCING THE ATTACKS ON ARTSAKH BY AZERBAIJAN WHEREAS, on October 20, 2020, a majority of the Santa Ana City Council asked for the City Manager to prepare both a Proclamation and to bring back to the City Council at the next meeting a Resolution for consideration denouncing the attacks by Azerbaijan and take a stand alongside the Armenian -American Community. WHEREAS, on October 23, 2020, the City Council issued a Proclamation Denouncing the Attacks on Artsakh by Azerbaijan. WHEREAS, Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is a historically indigenous Armenian land located in the Southern Caucasus. Artsakh is a beacon of ancient Armenian culture dating back to before the common era, and is home to a vibrant Armenian community today; and WHEREAS, on September 26, 2020, Azerbaijan's military forces launched a deadly and unprovoked attack against the Republic of Artsakh, including that country's capital city, Stepanakert, and that attack has already taken innocent civilian lives. This reckless invasion is a direct threat not only to the Armenian population that has lived in Artsakh for millennia, but also to stability in the surrounding region: and WHEREAS, on September 30, 2020, the conflict resulted in the deaths of at least 84 Nagorno-Karabakh service members; and WHEREAS, during a time when the United Nations has called for a ceasefire around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Azerbaijan instead is renewing warfare, violating its ceasefire agreement with Armenia, and causing death and destruction; and WHEREAS, Southern California is home to nearly 500,000 individuals of Armenian descent —the largest population of Armenians in the world outside of Armenia. As such, the attacks on Artsakh are of local importance; and WHEREAS, because our country is based on and committed to the values of democracy, liberty and the right of self-determination, the United States has a moral obligation to stand up and speak out on behalf of the people of Artsakh, who have flourished as a free, democratic and sovereign nation for almost 30 years. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana, that: Section 1. The City Council for the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, declares and determines as follows that the City Council calls upon President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to condemn Azerbaijan unequivocally for its latest violation of the ceasefire, and to demand an immediate and permanent cessation of all Azeri hostile action; and Resolution No. 2020-XXX Page 1 of 2 60A-3 Section 2. The City Council for the City of Santa Ana affirms the rights of all citizens in the Republic of Artsakh, and supports the right to self-determination and independence of the Artaskh Republic, and respectfully urges the President and Congress of the United States to do the same. Section 3. This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its adoption by the City Council, and the Clerk of Council shall attest to and certify the vote adopting this Resolution. ADOPTED this day of November, 2020. Miguel A. Pulido Mayor APPROVED AS TO FORM: Sonia R. Carvalho City Attorney By: cl cram A . Rg Laura A. Rossini Acting Chief Assistant City Attorney /G\'/X.�olo7R.71I'Ta'ii1T NOES: Councilmembers ABSTAIN: Councilmembers NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY I, DAISY GOMEZ, Clerk of the Council, do hereby certify the attached Resolution No. 2020 -XXX to be the original resolution adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Ana on 12020. Date: Clerk of the Council City of Santa Ana Resolution No. 2020-XXX Page 2 of 2 60A-4