US large lobbying organizations turn their backs on Turkey and Azerbaijan

ArmInfo.Mercury Public Affairs has terminated its registration as a foreign agent of the Republic of Turkey in response to calls from the Armenian community to cut the company's ties with the Turkish regime amid its support for Azerbaijan's genocidal war against Artsakh. "As a result of the persistent activity of our community and the steadfast support of our friends, I was informed by Fabian Nunez, partner of the Mercury office in Los Angeles, that Mercury Public Affairs is no longer registering as a foreign agent of Turkey," said Chair of the Board of Directors of the Western Region of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA-WR) Nora Hovsepyan. "We welcome Mercury's decision to take the right side of history and end its ties to the Turkish government and its genocidal policies, and we hope that this decision will serve as an example for every organization that works for authoritarian regimes such as Turkey and Azerbaijan." Last week, Mercury sent a series of letters demanding termination of its contract with the Turkish government, including from all fifteen Los Angeles City Councilors, Los Angeles County Governors  Kathryn Barger and Hilda Solis, California State Senator Anthony Portantino, Glendale City Councilor Ardi Kassakhian and sixteen California State Legislators. In addition, Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) has initiated the termination of its contract with Mercury in solidarity with the Armenian community.  Mercury Public Affairs, a public policy firm, represents numerous high-profile clients in business, politics and civil society including Microsoft, American Airlines, Starbucks, Comcast, Charter Cable, SoCalGas and Grubhub and others. For many years, Mercury has provided strategic, political and public relations services to the Republic of Turkey and has been complicit in the whitewashing of countless human rights violations committed by Erdogan's genocidal regime. In February 2020, Mercury signed a $ 1 million contract with the Turkish Embassy in Washington. Mercury has a long history of cooperation not only with the Turkish government, but also with its many confidants. Mercury provided services to the  American Turkish Business Council (TAIK), which is chaired by a close associate of Turkish President Erdogan, Mehmet Yalsindag. Last year, under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, Mercury contacted more than 150 congressional offices on behalf of TAIK to arrange meetings for Turkish Economy Minister Berat Albayrak, who is also President Erdogan's son-in-law.

Mercury's decision to end registration as a foreign agent of Turkey  also followed the decisions of Livingston Group and DLA Piper to stop  representing Azerbaijan's interests amid growing public outcry over  Turkey's genocidal policies and Azerbaijan's aggression against the  Armenians of Artsakh. The governments of Turkey and Azerbaijan have  for years sought to ban US human rights policies through their  insidious efforts to deny the Armenian genocide and undermine the  fundamental rights of the Armenians of Artsakh. Both states are  considered some of the worst in the world in terms of democratic  standards, media freedom and basic civil and political rights. "Both  Turkey and Azerbaijan have spent millions over the years to hire  public relations companies to clean up their public image, tarnished  by a deplorable human rights record and serious disregard for  democratic freedoms," Hovsepyan said. "The actions taken by DLA  Piper, Livingston Group, and now Mercury Public Affairs are an  important step towards stopping the Turkish-Azerbaijani public  opinion machine completely and preventing their malicious foreign  influence here in the United States."