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.
