Dr. Michael Rubin to address attendees of "United for Artsakh" in Boston

BOSTON, Mass.—In light of recent events, the ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund will host its 17th annual Awards Program with a reimagined approach – United for Artsakh – on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel Boston.

Michael Rubin, Ph.D., a former Pentagon official and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who will be recognized with the inaugural Advocacy Award at the Awards Program, will speak to attendees beginning at 6 p.m. to underscore the work of the ANCA Eastern Region.

Rubin specializes in Iran, Turkey and the broader Middle East and has authored, co-authored and co-edited several books and articles testifying to Azerbaijan’s genocidal actions against the people of Artsakh and providing recommendations to the Biden administration, including the President and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

In a recent article in The Washington Examiner, Rubin writes, “Rather than compromise with Aliyev’s new proposals, Biden should stand firm, deploying sanctions. He can stop military sales to Azerbaijan by imposing Section 907 sanctions. Nor is there any waiver to the Humanitarian Aid Corridors Act, which penalizes any country interfering with the provision of U.S. assistance. USAID convoys should be at Lachin now, ready to roll, American diplomats and congressional staff there to witness it. With the latest genocide finding, Biden might even support an international indictment for Aliyev. ‘Never Again’ must mean something.”

Rubin has been critical of Azerbaijan for its human rights abuses for some time, penning several articles during Azerbaijan’s over nine-month blockade of Artsakh. In an article for 19FortyFive, Rubin writes, “Azerbaijan has renewed its attack on Armenians in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Azeri attack comes less than a month after Secretary of State Anthony Blinken decided to waive Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act to enable American taxpayer assistance to flow to the oil-rich dictatorship. Blinken issued the waiver against the backdrop of the July 4 holiday to avoid notice. Blinken’s actions may be diplomatically convenient, but they violate Congressional intent: Section 907 permits a waiver only if Azerbaijan eschews military solutions to its conflicts, something Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev mocks. While Aliyev has agency, and it is unfair to blame Blinken for his decision to attack Armenians, Blinken should also recognize that Aliyev responds to every concession he offers with renewed violence. Blinken may not pull the trigger, but his policy has been the equivalent of putting a loaded weapon in front of a repeat offender.”

Most recently, Rubin participated in the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission’s hearing on Artsakh, hosted by TLHRC co-chairs Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Jim McGovern (D-MA), which was open to members of Congress, congressional staff, the media and the general public.

“While the evening will be appropriately somber, as our hearts and minds are incredibly heavy due to the loss of life and land, we depend on our community to support the ANCA Eastern Region. We are dedicating the evening to the people of Artsakh and the work we must do together for the continued existence of Artsakh and Armenia. Our efforts across the legislative and executive branches must continue day and night to advance the eastern region’s Hai Tahd priorities,” said Ara Nazarian, United for Artsakh chair.

For more information and to support United for Artsakh: ANCA Eastern Region Awards Program, visit: www.givergy.us/ancaer or contact ergala@anca.org.

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ANCA-Eastern Region

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.