Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte Discusses the Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians from Baku and Her Foundation

Armenian Alliance Conversations with Manyak Saakyan

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte discusses her philanthropic work in Armenia and Artsakh. She talks about why the Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte Foundation began the Ser Artsakh Baby Gift Box program, with the goal of providing a box of essential supplies to every new mother in Artsakh. Mrs. Astvatsaturian Turcotte also discusses her memoir called Nowhere, A Story of Exile which is based on her family’s history of surviving the ethnic cleansing of more than 300,000 Armenians from Azerbaijan. She talks about the pogroms and violence against Armenians in Azerbaijan, because of the Nagorno-Karabakh independence movement that began in 1988. She speaks about racial discrimination against Armenians in Azerbaijan during the Soviet Union and how this history is suppressed in Azerbaijan. She also explains that the Aliyev regime is continually attempting to ethnically cleanse Armenians from Artsakh.

Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte is the President of the Westbrook, Maine City Council. She has written and lectured extensively about Armenian issues in the United States, including for members of Congress. She has also spoken to the European Parliament about human rights, international law and anti-Armenian racism. She has worked on initiatives for US states to recognize the independence of Artsakh. Her memoir, Nowhere, A Story of Exile (2012), is based on her journals from 1988 to 1992. Mrs. Astvatsaturian Turcotte was awarded the Mkhitar Gosh Medal of Honor from President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and the Nagorno-Karabakh Gratitude Medal from Artsakh’s President Bako Sahakyan.

Mrs. Astvatsaturian Turcotte received a Bachelor’s degree in English and Literature and Philosophy and Religion from the University of North Dakota. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Maine School of Law.