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.

Call Governor Cooper

Sample Phone Script:

Hello, my name is [Your Name]. I am calling to express my disappointment in Governor Cooper’s decision to issue the “International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis” proclamation claiming Azerbaijan’s “peaceful coexistence and interfaith harmony” among Christians. It completely ignores Azerbaijan’s persecution of Armenian Christians over the last hundred years, and their unprovoked attacks on Armenia and Artsakh in the brutal 44-day war in 2020. I urge the governor to rescind this proclamation, which is very hurtful to Armenians in NC and elsewhere.

.@NC_Governor – Rescind the biased “International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis“ proclamation, which misrepresents history, denigrates #Armenians, and is particularly hurtful following Azerbaijan’s recent war against #Artsakh and #Armenia.

Click here to send an email with a pre-written message to Governor Cooper.

If your browser does not support this functionality, use the following email address and the text below. If you wish, feel free to customize the subject line and letter.

Here is the list of email addresses:

roy.cooper@nc.gov

Here is a sample subject line: Rescind the biased and hurtful Pro-Azerbaijan Proclamation

Here is a sample letter:

Dear Governor Cooper:

I am writing to express my disappointment in learning that Governor Cooper issued an “International Solidarity Day of Azerbaijanis” proclamation, commending Azerbaijan for its peaceful coexistence and interfaith harmony with its Christian Armenian population.

This proclamation completely ignores Azerbaijan’s deliberate attacks on Armenian religious and cultural sites, as well as the hundreds of thousands of Christian Armenians who have been persecuted, viciously attacked, killed, or driven out of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan’s human rights violations in the brutal 2020 war against Artsakh and Armenia are well documented.

I urge you to rescind this proclamation, which is very hurtful to Armenians living in North Carolina and
worldwide.