Assemblyman Gatto Meets with NKR Representative Robert Avetisyan, and Relatives of Armenians Killed in Karabakh Massacres

Sacramento, CA – At the State Capitol, Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles) met with Robert Avetisyan, the United States Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Mr. Avetisyan is in California from Washington, D.C., on the solemn anniversary of the massacres of the Armenian people in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

“It is with a heavy heart that Mr. Avetisyan and I met,” said the Assemblyman, “but I am proud of the work that we are doing to draw attention to the heinous crimes that have been committed against the Armenian people in Karabakh.”

Assemblyman Gatto, along with Assemblymembers Katcho Achadjian (R-San Luis Obispo) and Felipe Fuentes (D-Sylmar), introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 96, which designates today, February 27, 2012, as Day of Remembrance for the Massacres of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku. The resolution calls on Californians to promote greater tolerance in the region, and to ensure the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, while protecting the security of Armenians in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Although it was a busy day for the Assemblyman, Gatto spent time with Mr. Avetisyan and nearly 30 others to discuss the historical significance of the day, and the effects the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has had on the Armenian people. “We must never forget the innocent lives that were lost in the course of this conflict,” commented Gatto, “Mr. Avetisyan is here today in their memory, and I gladly stand next to him to do the same.”