Sister City Agreement signed between Glendale and Artsakh`s Martuni

ArmInfo.City of Glendale Mayor Ardy Kassakhian and Artsakh's Foreign Minister David Babayan have signed the Glendale-Martuni Sister City Agreement.

The deal is a powerful message of solidarity with the Armenians of  Artsakh that promises to foster vital cultural, educational and  humanitarian exchange.

The Glendale-Martuni Sister-City Agreement was introduced by Mayor  Ardashes Kassakhian and seconded by Councilmember Ara Najarian,  passing with unanimous support on August 23rd, 2022.

"Glendale City Council is proud to stand firmly in solidarity with  the people of Armenia and Artsakh amidst Azerbaijan's unprovoked  assault on Armenia," said Glendale Mayor Ardashes "Ardy" Kassakhian.

"With the signing of the Glendale-Martuni Sister City agreement, in  the presence of Artsakh's Foreign Minister David Babayan, we express  our commitment to the right to self-determination for the Armenians  of Artsakh and state in no uncertain terms that Azerbaijan must be  held accountable for its unabated aggression against the Armenian  people - and urge the U.S. to take immediate steps to condemn  Azerbaijan's aggression, enforce restrictions on military aid to  Baku, and provide urgent humanitarian relief to the at-risk Armenian  population of Artsakh as they face a threat to their very existence,"  he said.

In order to foster ties between the two cities, the ANCA Glendale  chapter announced the launch of the Glendale-Martuni Sister City  Association - to facilitate cultural, educational, and humanitarian  exchanges between Glendale and Martuni.

FM David Babayan has been in the United States as part of a working  visit with Deputy Minister for Education, Science, Culture, and  Sports, Lernik Hovhannisyan. Last week, the delegation was hosted by  the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) in Washington, DC,  where they participated in policy roundtables, think tank events,  academic discussions, and Congressional meetings to convey the  priorities and concerns of the Armenians of Artsakh amidst  Azerbaijan's unabated aggression.