Governor Roy Cooper signed a proclamation declaring December 31, 2021 as “International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis” in North Carolina.
The governor’s proclamation falsely claims Azerbaijan’s “peaceful coexistence and interfaith harmony” among Christians, denigrating Armenians while ignoring the long and complicated history of the Artsakh War, as well as Azerbaijan’s persecution of Armenians over the last hundred years.
The governor’s proclamation is most disturbing in light of Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s recent war on Artsakh, from September 27 to November 9, 2020, where Azerbaijan deliberately targeted Armenian religious and cultural sites, including the St. Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, which Human Rights Watch deemed to be a war crime. Additionally, an estimated 5,000 Armenians were killed and a hundred thousand Armenians turned into refugees.
Amnesty International has confirmed that Azerbaijan and Turkey indiscriminately fired cluster bombs and other prohibited munitions into residential areas of Armenia and Artsakh – in clear violation of international law. Such war crimes, the torture and killing of Armenian POWs and civilians, the use of Syrian mercenaries in the war, all in the midst of the global pandemic are evidence of the brutality of the Turkish and Azerbaijani governments.
Governor Cooper’s proclamation adds insult to injury to Armenians everywhere.
Please take a moment to contact Governor Cooper and express your disappointment in the governor’s decision to issue such a biased and hurtful proclamation and ask that he publicly rescind the proclamation immediately. Once you have taken this action, please encourage your family and friends, especially those who live in North Carolina, to do the same.
Please email and phone Governor Cooper’s office expressing your outrage. Contact information and suggested scripts are below.