Since September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, has been attacking Nagorno-Karabakh. As scholars of Armenian descent, we strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s military attacks. The aggression is marked by Azerbaijan’s complete disregard for international humanitarian law and the norms of armed conflict. Cities, villages and civilian infrastructures have been shelled and destroyed. Azerbaijan is actively targeting the civilian population, as recently demonstrated by the attacks on Stepanakert, Hadrut and other cities, towns and villages of Nagorno-Karabakh. Numerous Armenian civilians have been killed, including elderly and children. Azerbaijan is supplementing its military with Syrian mercenaries, recruited and backed by Turkey. The war is also finding its manifestation directly in the Republic of Armenia, with Azerbaijan bombing the Armenian town of Vardenis.
Azerbaijan’s military aggression toward Armenians and the involvement of Turkey, as well as mercenaries from Syria, pose a direct existential threat to Armenians. With the full potential to quickly escalate into a major war in the South Caucasus region, draw in other neighboring countries and cause vast humanitarian damage, Azerbaijan’s military aggression has to stop immediately. This war takes place a few short months after another military aggression on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as part of which Azerbaijan threatened to bomb the Armenian nuclear power plant.
We urge that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemn Turkey-backed Azerbaijan’s atrocities against Armenians that started on September 27, that he call upon Turkey to exclude itself from the conflict, and that he take actionable steps to help stop Azerbaijan’s military operations against Armenians.
October 8, 2020
Gregory Aftandilian; Lecturer; Middle East Affairs; Boston University
Victor Agadjanian; Professor; Sociology; UCLA
Sos Agaian; Distinguished Professor; Computer Science Department; CSI and Graduate Center of CUNY
Alen Alexanderian; Assistant Professor; Mathematics; North Carolina State University
Moskov Amaryan; Professor; Nuclear and Particle Physics; Old Dominion University
Jora Amirkhanian; Lecturer; Civil Engineering; California State University, Northridge (CSUN)
Ani Aprahamian; Freimann Professor of Physics; Nuclear Physics; University of Notre Dame
Alvard Arazyan; Senior Lecturer; Mathematics and Statistics; Boston University
Jesse S. Arlen; Armenian Studies; UCLA
Raffi Aroian; Professor; Biomedical Research; University of Massachusetts Medical School
Mihran Aroian; Professor; Management; The University of Texas at Austin Carolina Arroyo; Teaching Professor; Department of Political Science; University of Notre Dame
Arlene Voski Avakian; Professor Emeritus; Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies; University of Massachusetts Amherst
Tamara Babaian; Professor; Computer Information Systems; Bentley University
Kathryn Babayan; Professor; Early Modern Persianate History; University Michigan
Aram Balagyozyan; Associate Professor; Economics; The University of Scranton
Hasmig Baran; Lecturer; Armenian Studies Program; California State University, Northridge
Kevork Bardakjian; Professor Emeritus; Armenian Studies; University of Michigan
Yelena Bisharyan; Director; Life Sciences Technology Development; Harvard University
Patricia Blanchette; Professor; Philosophy; University of Notre Dame
Samuel Danagoulian; Emeritus Professor; Nuclear Physics; North Carolina A&T State University
Areg Danagoulian; Associate Professor; Nuclear Science and Engineering; MIT
Shooshan Danagoulian; Assistant Professor; Economics; Wayne State University
Mary R. D’Angelo; Associate Professor (Emerita); Religious Studies; University of Notre Dame
Asya Darbinyan; Visiting Research Scholar; History; Clark University
Davit Davtyan; Assistant Professor; Marketing; University of North Carolina, Asheville
Armen Der Kiureghian; Taisei Professor of Civil Engineering Emeritus; Structural Engineering; University of California, Berkeley
Bedross Der Matossian; Associate Professor; History; University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Nazaredt Dermendjian; Professor; Civil Engineering; California State University, Northridge
Margaret Dobrowolska; Professor; Physics; University of Notre Dame
Nikolay V. Dokholyan; G. Thomas Passananti Professor; Pharmacology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering; Pennsylvania State University
Myrna Douzjian; Lecturer; Armenian Literature; University of California, Berkeley
Ani Eloyan; Assistant Professor; Biostatistics; Brown University
Anna Geltzer; Assistant Director; Science Studies; University of Notre Dame
Aram Goudsouzian; Professor; History; University of Memphis
Karen Graubart; Associate Professor; History; University of Notre Dame
Talinn Grigor; Professor and Chair; Art History; University of California
Viktor Grigoryan; Associate Professor; Mathematics; Simmons University
Hrant Hakobyan; Associate Professor; Mathematics; Kansas State University
Davit Harutyunyan; Assistant Professor; Mathematics; University of California Santa Barbara
Armen Hovakimian; Professor; Finance; Baruch College, City University of New York
Gayane Hovakimian; Associate Professor; Finance; Fordham University
Naira Hovakimyan; W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor; Mechanical Science and Engineering; University of Illinois
Richard G. Hovannisian; History; Professor Emeritus, UCLA and Presidential Fellow, Chapman University
Carina Karapetian Giorgi; Assistant Professor; Sociology; Antelope Valley College
J. Barkev Mihran Kassarjian; Professor of Management, Babson College, and Professor of Strategy & Organization, Emeritus, IMD Int’l., Lausanne, Switzerland; Strategic Change in Organizations
Lori Khatchadourian; Associate Professor; Near Eastern Studies; Cornell University
Davit Khachatryan; Associate Professor; Statistics and Analytics; Babson College
Mariana Khachatryan; Post Doctoral Associate; Physics; Florida International University
Nerses Kopalyan; Assistant Professor-in-Residence; Political Science; University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Asbed Kotchikian; Senior Lecturer; Political Science; Bentley University
Hagop Kouloujian; Continuing Lecturer; Armenian Studies; UCLA
Dickran Kouymjian; Full professor, first Haig Berberian Endowed Professor of Armenian Studies, Emeritus; Armenian History and Art, Near Eastern History & Art; California State University, Fresno
Stephen Lancaster; Associate Professor of the Practice; Music; University of Notre Dame
Marc A. Mamigonian; Academic Director; Armenian Studies; National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR)
Christina Maranci; Professor; Art History; Tufts University
Kristine Martirosyan-Olshansky; Researcher; Archaeology; UCLA
Sarkis Mazmanian; Professor of Microbiology; Microbiology, Immunology, Neuroscience; California Institute of Technology
Sarah McKibben; Associate Professor; Irish Language and Literature; University of Notre Dame
Markar Melkonian; Instructor; Philosophy; California State University, Northridge
Katya Mkrtchyan; Assistant Professor; Computer Science; California State University, Northridge
Sevak Mkrtchyan; Associate Professor; Mathematics; University of Rochester
Robert M Mooradian; Professor; Finance; Northeastern University
Iga Muradyan; Instructor; Medical Physics; Harvard Medical School
Janice Dzovinar Okoomian; Assistant Professor; English/Gender & Women’s Studies; Rhode Island College
Mary A Papazian; Professor and President; Literature; San Jose State University
Dennis R Papazian; Professor Emeritus; History; University of Michigan, Dearborn
Mihran Papikian; Professor; Mathematics; Pennsylvania State University
Rafayel Paremuzyan; Staff Scientist; Nuclear Physics; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab)
Rubina Peroomian; Former professor of Armenian Studies at UCLA; Genocide Studies; Formerly UCLA
Vahe’ Petrosian; Professor; Astrophysics and Cosmology; Stanford University
Arshak Petrosyan; Professor; Mathematics; Purdue University
Levon Pogosian; Professor; Physics; Simon Fraser University (Canada)
Movses Pogossian; Professor of Violin; Director, UCLA Armenian Music Program; UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Davit Potoyan; Assistant Professor; Chemistry; Iowa State University
Tom Purekal; Staff; International Development; University of Notre Dame
Lili Sahakyan; Professor; Cognitive Psychology; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Misak M Sargsian; Professor; Physics; Florida International University
Nelli Sargsyan; Associate Professor; Anthropology; Emerson College
Grigor Sargsyan; Associate Professor; Mathematics; Rutgers University
Narine Sarvazyan; Professor; Physiology; The George Washington University
Catherine M. Schlegel; Associate Professor; Classics; University of Notre Dame
Armen Sedrakian; Professor; Theoretical Physics; Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Study
Tigran Sedrakyan; Assistant Professor; Physics; University of Massachusetts Amherst
Tatevik Sekhposyan; Associate Professor; Economics; Texas A&M University
Elyse Semerdjian; Professor; History; Whitman College
Vazgen Shekoyan; Associate Professor; Physics; CUNY
Tamar Shirinian; Postdoctoral Fellow; Anthropology; University of Tennessee
Karén Simonyan; Associate Professor; Finance; Suffolk University
Stepan Stepanyan; Senior Scientist, Professor; Nuclear and Particle Physics; Old Dominion University/Jefferson Lab
Ronald Grigor Suny; Professor; History, Political Science; University of Michigan
Harold Takooshian; Professor; Behavioral Science; Fordham University
Henry C. Theriault; Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars; Philosophy/Genocide Studies; Worcester State University
Artyom H. Tonoyan; Research Associate; Sociologist of Religion; University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Anush Tserunyan; Assistant Professor; Mathematics; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michelle Tusan; Professor; History; University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Petros Voulgaris; Professor; Aerospace Engineering; University of Nevada, Reno
Michael Wiescher; Professor; Physics; University of Notre Dame
Nicholas Yannelis; Professor; Economics; University of Iowa
Gayane Yenokyan; Associate Scientist; Biostatistics; Johns Hopkins University
Tadeh Zirakian; Associate Professor; Civil Engineering (Structures and Earthquakes); California State University, Northridge
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Fully agree!
If needed, you may add my name to the list.
Stefan G. Sarafianos, Ph.D.
Professor and Division Associate Director
Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology
Department of Pediatrics
Emory University School of Medicine
E470 Health Sciences Research Building
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I fully agree. This violence against the Armenian people and nation should stop. It should not be allowed to happen. Many people, the Armenians, the Greeks, the Kurds, Syrians, the Cypriots and many other ethnic groups have suffer a lot by the Ottoman and present day Turks. We can not let history repeat itself. The Azeris would have never done this in Nigorno-Karabah without the help of the Turks.
This is a very good petition, and I thank the signers and the Armenian Weekly.
I noticed that there is no mention that Israel is a – probably THE – major supplier of advanced weapons to Azerbaijan that it is using against Artsakh and Armenia. These include various kinds of drones.
Of course, we all remember when Jewish American organizations such (ADL, AJC, AIPAC, JINSA etc.)
were long denying or diminishing the Armenian Genocide and colluding with Israel to defeat Armenian genocide resolutions in Congress.
Yes, I am well aware that righteous Jewish Americans and Israel have spoken out then and
now on the foregoing issues. I and Armenians are more than grateful.
But Israel and the top Jewish American organizations are now pro-Azeri.
One example is the American Jewish Committee which often visits Baku. Its CEO David Harris
received Pres. Ilham Aliyev’s most prestigious award in NYC in 2012.
I want to appeal to the signers of this petition to please display more honesty and courage by telling the truth about certain Jewish American groups and Israel.
I am also not the only one who notices defamatory attacks on Armenia and Armenian Americans by a large group of Jewish and Israeli writers, clearly at the behest of the Israeli government.
Truth, honesty, and courage. These are needed in academia, are they not?
We need to preserve the status quo and the country boundaries accomplished through the ultimate sacrifice during WWI and WW II and anyone that tried to disturb the balance found to be declared an international criminal and deault with.