[2 December 1987]
Letter published in Asbarez, the official publication of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun) of the Western U.S., offered as a model to be addressed by Armenians to General Secretary M. Gorbachev. In a February 1988 press release, the Armenian National Committee of America, representing the Dashnaktsutiun, released a similar statement of full support of the Armenian demonstrations and claims.
Mikhail Gorbachev
General Secretary of the Central Committee
Communist Party of Soviet Union
U.S.S.R Embassy
1125 16th St. N.W
December 2, 1987
Honorable General Secretary,
The nearly one million strong American-Armenian community welcomes you during your historic visit to the United States. We join the rest of the American public who wish for success in your deliberations with President Ronald Reagan on topics that will promote greater understanding and bring peoples closer in peace.
With great interest, the Armenian people throughout the world follow your efforts for openness and restructuring the Soviet Union. The implementation of these broad changes will undoubtedly bring a substantial and welcome improvement in the economic, social, cultural and other areas important to the peoples living in the Soviet Union, including Soviet Armenian.
In this direct context, we bring to your attention the following facts:
1.The life-threatening pollution in present-day Soviet Armenia, caused by pollutants emitted by chemical plans, especially the “Nairit” rubber factory in Yerevan.
- The danger posed by endemic radioactivity leakage and the several accidents reported at the nuclear power plant in Armenia.
- The distribution in Armenia of radioactive-contaminated food shipments from the Chernobyl area.
The Armenian people demand that the following emergency measures be taken to protect the entire population of Soviet Armenia and its neighbors from pathogenetic damage beyond that already suffered by the people of the Soviet Union’s smallest Republic:
- THE IMMEDIATE CLOSURE OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN SOVIET ARMENIA.
- THE IMMEDIATE CLOSURE OF THE “NAIRIT” RUBBER FACTORY IN YEREVAN.
- THE IMMEDIATE RECALL AND DESTRUCTION OF RADIOACTIVE-CONTANIMATED FOODSTUFFS IN YEREVAN.
We are confident that along with these urgent measures, other steps consistent with your stated policy restructuring can now be taken to rectify a territorial anomaly that has plagued the Armenian people. The reunification of historical Armenian lands in Transcaucasia to Soviet Armenia from which they were arbitrarily removed, will correct a grave injustice perpetrated on the Armenian people. The permanent success of restructuring in Armenia can being with the removal of this historical injustice.
WE JOIN OUR VOICES TO OUR COMPATRIOTS IN SOVIET ARMENENIA CALLING FOR THE RETURN OF KARABAGH AND NAKHICHEVAN, NOW UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF THE AZERBAIJAN SOVIET REPUBLIC.
We remain confident that the cause for universal peace and justice for all peoples in this earth will be advanced with your actions on these crucial health, economic and humanitarian issues.
Sincerely,
[Asbarez, December 5, 1987]
The Karabagh File, Documents and Facts, 1918-1988, First Edition, Cambridge Toronto 1988, by the ZORYAN INSTITUTE, edited by: Gerard J. LIBARIDIAN, pp. 111-112
Image – George H.W. Bush (l), Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev on Governors Island, New York, 1987
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Karabagh and Nakhichevan historically are part of Armenia: Hnchakian Party to Gorbachev
