View this email in your browser Representative Valadao to Serve as Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues WASHINGTON D.C. – On January 26, 2021, Congressman David G. Valadao was named a co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. “Armenia is a nation so many of my constituents know and love,” said Congressman Valadao. “During my time in Congress, I introduced several resolutions formally recognizing the Ottoman Empire’s deportation and extermination of over two million Armenian people and, after years of Armenian-American advocacy for this cause, the House and the Senate finally passed H.Res.296, Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide. However, my fight on behalf of my Armenian-American constituents must continue. Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh recently faced attacks from Azerbaijani forces in violation of their decade-old ceasefire agreement. This kind of aggression is unacceptable and must end immediately. I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress on this issue and other issues of importance to the Armenian-American community as co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues. We must continue to advocate for the Armenian people and encourage the new Administration to maintain and strengthen relationships between the United States, Armenia, and Artsakh [Nagorno Karabakh].” Read more…     Five More Armenian POWs Returned Home from Azerbaijan YEREVAN —  Five more Armenian prisoners of war have returning home from Azerbaijani captivity, Armenian deputy prime minister Tigran Avinyan said in a Facebook post today. He said their repatriation was a joint effort of the Russian side and Armenia’s National Security Service. “Also today 62 of other Armenian prisoners of war, still being held in Azerbaijan, spoke with their relatives by telephone,” he wrote. They were flown to Yerevan by a Russian plane and immediately taken to a military hospital for examination. Read more… Artsakh Ombudsman’s Office Published a Report on the Threat to Armenian Cultural Heritage STEPANAKERT — The Staff of the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh published a report on vandalism against the Armenian cultural heritage in the occupied territories of the Republic of Artsakh and the threat of destruction of Armenian monuments. There are an estimated 4,000 Armenian cultural sites, including 370 churches, 119 fortresses and other historical and cultural monuments in the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic. The churches date from the 4th to the 21st century. Its valuable archaeological sites, most notably the ancient city of Tigranakert of Artsakh, date back to the 1st c. BC – 13th c. AD period. Read more… Garo Paylan “How Was the Armenian Church Demolished Despite the Protection Order?” ISTANBUL (Bianet) Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakir MP Garo Paylan has submitted a Parliamentary question regarding the demolition of the Surp Toros Church despite being designated as an “Immovable Requiring Protection” by the Kütahya Regional Board of Cultural Heritage Protection. The historical Armenian church in Turkey’s western province of Kütaya has been destroyed after it came into the possession of a person. Submitting a Parliamentary question to the Speaker’s Office to be addressed to Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, HDP MP Paylan has briefly stated the following about the issue: Read more… LA County to Donate Health Equipment to Armenian Engineers And Scientists Of America LOS ANGELES COUNTY – Today, LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger to donate electrical safety analyzers and portable medical devices no longer needed by the County to the Biomedical Engineering Committee of Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America. This donation, which is part of an equipment replacement process at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, will include 12 Medtester 5000c Electrical Safety Analyzers previously used as part of routine maintenance for biomedical electrical equipment and 27 GE Dinamap portable medical devices used to track a patient’s vital functions. Biomedical Engineering Committee of Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America (BECAESA) provides support and assistance to organizations and entities throughout Armenia to improve the health and welfare of its citizens and visitors. Read more…