1 STAFF REPORT
DATE: October 4, 2022
TO: Justin Hess, City Manager
FROM: Judie Wilke, Assistant City Manager
By: Viviana Garzon, Administrative Analyst II
SUBJECT: Request to Consider Writing a Letter to President Biden and the United States Congress to Suspend the Section 907 Waiver to no Longer Provide United States Military Assistance to Azerbaijan
RECOMMENDATION
The City Council could note and file the report , direct staff to come back for a second step, or in the interest of time, forgo the customary second step in the additional agenda item process and direct staff to prepare and send a letter signed by all five Council Members to President Biden and the United States Congress to suspend the Section 907 Waiver to no longer provide U.S Military assistance to Azerbaijan.
BACKGROUND
At the September 13, 2022 City Council meeting, Vice Mayor Anthony requested staff to bring back a first step report for Council consideration of writing a letter to Congress and President Biden to suspend the Section 907 Waiver for Azerbaijan. This matter was addressed in an email to the City Council from the Armenian N ational Committee of America – Burbank Chapter (ANCA) Chairman Sarkis Simonian on September 13, 2022 (Attachment 1), whereby he requested the Council to: 1) Immediately condemn Azerbaijan’s latest attacks on Armenia and 2) Publicly call upon President Bide n to immediately suspend the Section 907 Waiver.
By way of background, the City Council has previously taken action to condemn Azerbaijani aggression in Artsakh and recognize the independence of the Republic of Artsakh (Attachment 2 and 3).
CITY MANAGER’S
OFFICE
2 DISCUSSION
According to recent news articles, fighting flared up between Armenia and Azerbaijan on September 1 3, 2022. The United Nations has said Armenia reported 105 service members killed and six civilians wounded, while Azerbaijan said 71 of its service members died and two civilians were hurt. Shortly following the attacks, U nited States Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev urging him to cease hostilities. Secretary Blinken also spoke with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressing condolences for the fatalities his country sustained in the recent fighting. “The Secretary also reiterated our commitment to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan resolve issues peacefully” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement , “He said that diplomacy was the only way forward and noted he would remain personally engaged.”
1 FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
CONCLUSION
Following a request from ANCA – Burbank Chapter for the City Council to speak up about the hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Vice Mayor Anthony has requested an opportunity for the Council to consider taking action through a letter to President Biden and the United States Congress to suspend United States Military aid to Azerbaijan.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment 1 – Email from ANCA – Burbank Chapter Chairman Sarkis Simonian Attachment 2 – Staff Report , Consideration of A Resolution Condemning Azerbaijan Aggression in Artsakh (October 13, 2020)
Attachment 3 – Staff Report, Adoption of a Resolution Recognizing the Independence of the Republic of Artsakh (March 16, 2021)
1 https://www.npr.org/2022/09/19/1123515328/armenia-azerbaijan-nagorno-karabakh-explained