In a first-ever visit to the U.S. Capitol by an Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) head of state, President Bako Sahakyan delivered a powerful pro-peace and prosperity message to the American people, thanking U.S. legislators for ongoing aid programs and encouraging continued U.S. leadership toward a durable, democratic resolution of outstanding Artsakh-Azerbaijan status and security issues, reports the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“Our people are building an independent, sovereign, democratic state and civil society,” said President Sahakyan. “We are committed to these ideas consciously. They have been inherited from generation to generation, constituting part and parcel of the Armenian civilization.”

Citing Artsakh’s democratic and economic progress over the past 25 years, President Sahakyan noted “Representatives of numerous countries, including the United States, who periodically visit Artsakh, carry out observation missions in various elections also point to our achievements registered on this path. Artsakh people have earned the right to become a full member of the international community and to be integrated into the civilized world.”

President Sahakyan concluded, noting “Washington has a tangible role in maintaining peace and stability in our region, peaceful and just settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict conducting its mediation mission as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group. Cementing and deepening ties with the United States of America have always been and will remain among the fundamental directions of our foreign policy.”