Westbrook, MA – Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte was re-elected to serve Ward Three on Westbrook, Maine’s City Council in the November 6th midterm elections. Turcotte first ran and won the seat in 2015 and was at that time the youngest and only female city council representative on the Westbrook City Council.
ANC of Maine Chairman Armen Carapetian offered his congratulations to Turcotte. “We’re thrilled to have Anna represent the citizens of Westbrook and to a broader extent the Armenian Americans of Maine and the nation. As a lecturer, she is often traveling from state to state not only representing the people of Maine, but also Armenians and that is such a powerful tool for us as we advocate for justice for Armenia and Artsakh,” said Carapetian.
Turcotte, a refugee from Baku, Azerbaijan, is an Armenian-American author, activist, attorney and lecturer who authored Nowhere, a Story of Exile in 2012, a book based upon the diaries she kept as a child escaping the ethnic cleansing of the Armenians at the hands of the Azerbaijani government in Baku.
With a background in legal and risk management, her first foray into the political arena was in 2015 when she ran as a Democrat against two candidates (the incumbent and long-time city council representative Paul Emery and new-comer Susan Rossignol) and was elected.
In April 2013, she successfully spearheaded the recognition efforts of the Republic of Artsakh’s independence at the State of Main House of Representatives. Aside from her focus on Westbrook, Maine, she is also a staunch advocate for increased U.S. aid for Artsakh, the right to self-determination for Artsakh and other Armenian issues including recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Her work has not gone unnoticed as she is the recipient of the Mkhitar Gosh Medal, the Republic of Armenia’s highest civilian honor, the Republic of Artsakh’s Gratitude Medal, the ANCA Western Region Vahan Cardashian Award and the ANCA Eastern Region Freedom Award to name a few.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Literature and Philosophy and Religion and a minor in Russian Language and Literature from the University of North Dakota, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Maine School of Law. In law school, she was one of the first Americans to clerk at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands.
“Thank you, ANCA! You have always supported me, whether it’s on Artsakh, running for office or simply being heard. There isn’t an Armenian organization in the world aside from Artsakh itself, that has kept up with my drive to advocate for a free Artsakh as much as the ANCA. Thank you for all you do,” said Turcotte.
For more information about Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte , please visit: https://www.annaturcotte.com/.