Community Support for ARF’s Protocols Position Strong

Armenia National Assembly member Armen Rustamian speaking at the governor's office in Providence, RI

NEW YORK–The East Coast tour of Armenia National Assembly member Armen Rustamian concluded on Sunday, December 13, after a guest appearance at the New York ARF’s commemoration of the Federation’s 119th anniversary. During his December 9-13 visit, Rustamian met with Congressional and other US government representatives and visited east coast communities.

During his successful six-city tour, Rustamian spread the ARF’s unwavering message of opposition to the controversial Armenia-Turkey protocols, which were signed by Armenia’s and Turkey’s respective foreign ministers in October. Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian billed the protocols as a positive economic move for Armenia with the promised opening of the Armenia-Turkey border. But the ARF opposed the protocols and warned that opening border in exchange for heavy concessions by Armenia could only damage the national interests of the Armenian people.

Armenia National Assembly member Armenian Rustamian speaks to the Armenian community in Watertown, MA

Rustamian, who is chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Foreign Relations and the representative of the ARF Supreme Body in Armenia, was welcomed in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Providence, Watertown, New Jersey, and New York, where the ARF hosted community meetings and arranged for private meetings with ARF members and US, local government and community representatives.

Rustamian explained the ARF’s current strategy to derail the dangerous protocols and warned that the party will press for regime change in Armenia if the protocols’ constitutionality is OK’d by Armenia’s Constitutional Court in January and if the National Assembly subsequently ratifies the document.