In the heated atmosphere of the U.S. presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris have issued statements to Armenian-American voters seeking their support.
On his “Truth Social” media platform last week, Trump issued a statement accusing Harris of doing “nothing as 120,000 Armenian Christians were horrifically persecuted and forcibly displaced in Artsakh. Christians around the World will not be safe if Kamala Harris is President of the United States. When I am President, I will protect persecuted Christians, I will work to stop violence and ethnic cleansing, and we will restore PEACE between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
On the other hand, the Harris-Waltz campaign issued the following statement on September 23, 2024: “We must never forget the Armenian Genocide, when an estimated 1.5 million Armenians were deported, massacred, and marched to their deaths. It is a tragedy that continues to shape the identity of the Armenian people… I remain committed to a lasting peace between Armenia and its neighbors that respects sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. The right for Armenians displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh to return safely to their homes is vital to restoring dignity to the Armenian people and stability to the region. I will continue to support Armenia in its efforts to strengthen democracy and foster stability in the region.”
Trump’s statement was not issued by the Trump campaign office and not posted on his official website. It was posted only on his social media, which makes it less official. Harris’ statement was issued on her campaign letterhead, but not posted on her official website. Trump used the term Artsakh, while Harris referred to the region as Nagorno-Karabakh.
It is a positive development that both U.S. presidential candidates have issued statements making Armenia and Artsakh a part of the national electoral discourse.
It is no secret that many Armenian-Americans have been disappointed with both candidates. Trump did not lift a finger as Azerbaijan attacked and occupied most of Artsakh in 2020, while he was president. Harris did nothing as vice president in 2023, when 120,000 Artsakh Armenians were forcibly displaced. They are both to be blamed for their inaction.
To pressure Trump and Harris to make statements on Armenian issues, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) conducted a lengthy public campaign condemning them for their inaction in defense of Artsakh and giving them both failing grades.
Trump as president dramatically increased military aid to Baku, breaking the established precedent of parity in U.S. military assistance to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. During Azerbaijan’s occupation of most of Artsakh in 2020, he took no action in the face of Azerbaijan’s war crimes. Azerbaijan used prohibited cluster munitions against Armenian civilians, recruited Islamist jihadist terrorists to fight against Artsakh, allowed Turkey to deploy F-16 jets in Azerbaijan during the war, thus violating the U.S. end-user agreement, refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide and actively blocked its congressional remembrance.
ANCA is now asking Trump to support Artsakh Armenians’ right of return by urging the Republican House Speaker to back pro-Artsakh legislation. Furthermore, ANCA asked Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Senator JD Vance, to cosponsor similar measures in the Senate.
ANCA is also criticizing Harris for not saying one critical word when Azerbaijan completed the occupation of Artsakh and expulsion of the 120,000 Artsakh Armenians in 2023. Since then, she has done nothing to ensure Artsakh Armenians’ right to return, support sanctioning Azerbaijan’s officials for war crimes and help release Armenian prisoners of war and Artsakh leaders detained in Baku.
Armenian-Americans expect credible action from the candidates, rather than issuing meaningless campaign promises, which are quickly forgotten after the election. There are things they can do and say in the last days of the campaign, even though they should have said and done them long ago.
Since both candidates failed to defend the interests of Armenia and Artsakh when it really counted, Armenians should stop expecting outsiders, no matter who they are, to help resolve their issues. No one has come forward to save Armenia during our several millennia-long history, and it is not going to happen now or in the future. The only reason Armenian Americans have the right to demand candidates support their issues is that these candidates are asking them for their votes. Armenians should not give them their votes, unless they get something concrete in return, not just empty promises.
As polls indicate that the two presidential candidates are in an extremely tight race, this provides an opportunity for smaller voting blocks like Armenians to tip the balance in key swing states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
I leave it up to each reader to make up his or her mind as to who to vote for.
Harut Sassounian
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I will not try to defend any inaction by Mr. Trump. I will, however, point out the fact that the entire world was navigating uncharted waters in 2020 due to the pandemic. Much of the world’s energy was focused on dealing with the unknown. However, in other phases of his presidency, Mr. Trump was an able problem solver. Ms. Harris on the other hand, has not one meaningful accomplishment. Her policy remains to promise solutions without explaining how she will achieve them. As a 73 year old man of Armenian heritage, I think our country has been fed empty promises of what should be done, without having the courage or authority to act. God bless Armenia 🇦🇲!
Your one-sided comments in reality applies to both candidates. You are making a futile attempt to make excuses for Trump’s inaction. No one is buying it. I wrote a very fair and balanced analysis called out both candidates for their inaction.
Armenia was a legal ally of Russia at the time although not as warm as previously, Russia had and has deteriorating relations with the USA, Russia never affirmed guarantees to Arktash although had stymied settlement efforts. International law supported Azerbaijan especially for the areas of Azerbaijan outside soviet N-K. No one beyond Armenia was any kind of guarantor of Arktash. Russia had been calling for Armenia to withdraw. USA under Trump was facing an election. 2020 with the pandemic was a time of distractions. Trump was very pro Israel who in turn is close to Azerbaijan. Hence the issue passed with little attention in the USA. Hence it’s a bit ‘rich’ to have expected action to safeguard Arktash. As for now this is simply electioneering rhetoric although the fact it’s been cited is a change but still no reason to get hopes up. Quite simply the USA wasn’t obligated in any way over Arktash and didn’t see the issue as a priority in its foreign policy.
I think this is one election when it makes NO sense to vote for ANY candidate. Can you believe it a NON-Christian Country, INDIA is displaying more concern & support to Our Nation than ANY Christian government, Across the years all news comments articles & communiques from INDIA that I have read have contained NO nastiness towards Our Nation. Nonetheless God bless America.
@Artin surely Armenians know that Christian neighbour Georgia is hardly to be counted as an ally. Likewise Iran is cordial despite Azerbaijan being in fellow Shia nation and many Sunni Arabs were traditionally considered amenable. Further afield the war in Ukraine is essentially Slavic orthodox people fighting eachother. If not for external pressures the animosities between different types of Jews would be more acute. Enough of this clash of civilizations nonsense it deserves to be consigned to the same place as race war notions.
Funny how easily we forget the deep concern that the West, as a whole, has expressed and is currently showing towards Armenia. The European monitors that are stationed along the border with Azerbaijan has secured it and prevented any new incursions ever since their deployment. Europe would not have done that without the consent of the US. Let’s not forget the huge efforts the US went through to stop Azerbaijan from further attacking Armenia in 2023. Not mentioning these demonstrable help from the West would be a shameful practice in ingratitude.
President Trump in 2020 had alot on his plate dealing with this country’s problems let alone Armenia….the 4 years of being attacked, obstructed, vilified,investigated, blocked, sued by the demokkkrats for anything he tried to do wasted valuable time that should have been spent making the country better….a weak America cannot help Armenia…the biden/harris regime was a weak, appeasing with foreign policy…Afghanistan was a catastrophe…and our enemies saw incompetence and weakness…only a strong America again would be able to help Armenia…plain and simple…but the Armenian government appears to be bordering on being traitors to their own people….that needs to be fixed before pointing fingers at American politicians….the Armenian government is embarrassing and putting Armenia in a very bad place in a dangerous game with hungry wolves….
It is absolutely incredible and shameful that the false narrative of equating the “inaction” of Vice President Harris and while-president Trump on Armenian issues, or any other issue for that matter. Just like any US ambassador, the vice president of the United States serves at the pleasure of the president. The vice president of the US does not make policies, he/she is there to step in and take over the office if something catastrophic happens to the health of the president. Do I need to remind you this fact? Furthermore, The Armenian weekly, through Mr. Sassounian’s article, advising to be neutral is less than worthy for consideration. This man, Trump, is a phony individual. He is running to become president for two reasons a) to avoid going to jail, b) to persecute/prosecute all those who called him what he really is, a phony idiot. Learning his “mistakes” from his first presidency, this time round a president Trump, having surrounded himself with total yes-men, will destroy everything he touches … including Armenia. He gives a rat’s ass what happens to Armenia as long as anti-Armenian dictators Putin/Aliev/Erdogan/Orban keep praising Trump and writing love letters to this political nobody. Having followed the types of articles published in The Armenian Weekly, one truly wonders as to who’s interests is this newspaper serving??
The other major consideration is Trump has been extremely honest about his distaste for getting involved in foreign disputes. He has stated he will pull US support from the Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Do you really believe he would defend any Armenian interests?