BOXER URGES STRONG STANCE AGAINST AZERI AGGRESSION AS COMMITTEE APPROVES MORNINGSTAR NOMINATION
asbarez
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
Senator Barbara Boxer
Senators Menendez and Boxer led Senate Foreign Relations Committee
scrutiny of US Ambassador to Azerbaijan nominee.
WASHINGTON-Following intense questioning by Senators Barbara Boxer
(D-CA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on a range of issues dealing with the
Aliyev regime’s ongoing attacks against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh
and the demolition of the centuries old Armenian cemetery in Djulfa,
the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday approved the nomination
of Richard Morningstar for US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, reported the
Armenian National Committee of America.
“We would like to thank Senators Boxer and Menendez for spotlighting
the Aliyev regime’s escalating violence and war-rhetoric against
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and ensuring a robust confirmation process
for the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan nominee,” stated ANCA Government
Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian. “We need an effective U.S. envoy
in Azerbaijan – one who will stand up to an autocratic regime which
remains an obstacle to peace through its anti-Armenian attacks and
vitriol. Upon full Senate approval, we look forward to working with
Amb. Morningstar to ensure a balanced policy in the region which
respects the right to self-determination of the people of Karabakh.”
In a statement submitted at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
meeting earlier today, Senator Boxer outlined a number of issues she
hoped Ambassador Morningstar would prioritize during his tenure in
Azerbaijan. “It is absolutely critical that Ambassador Morningstar use
his position to respond to and counter the Government of Azerbaijan’s
escalating acts of aggression and threats against Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh,” explained Sen. Boxer, who went on to call on the
nominee to “urge the Azerbaijani government to comply with the OSCE
(Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group
1994 ceasefire agreement,” and carry out an investigation into the
Azerbaijani demolition of the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa. Senator
Boxer’s complete statement is provided below.
Senator Boxer also submitted a series of questions in the days
leading up to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote, where her
concerns about the June 4-6 Azerbaijani attacks against Armenia and
Karabakh were evident. “If confirmed, how will you respond, publicly
and privately, to new acts of aggression that now extend beyond the
Nagorno-Karabakh region into the Armenian-Azerbaijani border area?”
asked Sen. Boxer, followed by “How will you specifically work to ensure
that the Azerbaijani government respects the Organization for Security
and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group negotiated ceasefire?”
Morningstar was confirmed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
on Tuesday
Ambassador Morningstar reiterated the blanket calls by Secretary
Clinton urging all sides to “exercise restraint, comply with their
obligations under the 1994 ceasefire agreement, and take the steps
necessary for peace.” He then went on to explain, “If confirmed,
I will work with U.S. Minsk Group Co-Chair Robert Bradtke and engage
at the highest levels of the Azerbaijani government to urge respect
for the ceasefire and strengthen its implementation.” In response to
a follow up question by Senator Boxer where she referenced President
Ilham Aliyev’ recent proclamation that, “[Azerbaijan’s] main enemies
are Armenians of the world,” Ambassador Morningstar was more direct.
“If confirmed, I will make the case that irresponsible rhetoric
is unacceptable and undermines our efforts to achieve a peaceful
settlement of the conflict. I will urge the Azerbaijani government to
show restraint in its rhetoric and to prepare its people for peace,
not war,” noted Morningstar.
Referring to the Azerbaijani Government’s destruction of the centuries
old Armenian cemetery in Djulfa as “an affront to religious freedom,”
Sen. Boxer asked, “will you commit to attempt to travel to Djulfa to
investigate the destruction of the cemetery? What steps will you take
to ensure that other religious sites and monuments in Azerbaijan are
protected?” Ambassador Morningstar pledged to “make every effort to
visit the cemetery at Djulfa. I will also amplify our concerns to the
Government of Azerbaijan and stress the need to respect and safeguard
Armenian religious and cultural sites in Azerbaijan.”
Morningstar responded similarly during robust questioning by Senator
Menendez during his confirmation hearing last week. “What we need to
do is to take very strong positions as an Administration and in Baku,
if I’m there, to protect the rights of the Armenian Church, as well
as to rectify the situation with respect to the cemetery. And that
would be a major part of the agenda.”
In addition to focusing on recent Azerbaijani attacks and the Djulfa
cemetery desecration, Senator Menendez expressed concern about pending
U.S. military equipment sales to be used on Azerbaijani helicopters
for border monitoring purposes. Citing Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian
rhetoric and recent attacks, Senator Menendez stated unequivocally,
“I have a real problem with going ahead and selling military hardware
to the Azerbaijanis based upon what has happened.” Watch Senator
Menendez’ questions and Morningstar’s responses.
In a series of seven policy recommendations to the Obama Administration
and Congress regarding efforts to find a peaceful resolution to
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the ANCA has called to “suspend all
military aid to Azerbaijan, and stop the sale or transfer to Baku of
any military equipment or dual-use items (including the proposed sale
of advanced helicopter-based surveillance equipment – DDTC 12-002).”
Review the ANCA’s recommendations and urge Congress to take action.
Statement By Senator Boxer Submitted To The Senate Foreign Relations
Committee
June 19, 2012
Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will be voting on the
nomination of the Honorable Richard L. Morningstar to be Ambassador
to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
While I will support his nomination, I would like to briefly mention
a number of important things that I hope to see Ambassador Morningstar
make a priority during his tenure as Ambassador.
First, it is absolutely critical that Ambassador Morningstar use his
position to respond to and counter the Government of Azerbaijan’s
escalating acts of aggression and threats against Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh. I am so pleased that in response to a question
submitted for the record, Ambassador Morningstar pledged that
“if confirmed, I will make the case that irresponsible rhetoric
is unacceptable and undermines our efforts to achieve a peaceful
settlement of the conflict. I will urge the Azerbaijani government to
show restraint in its rhetoric and to prepare its people for peace,
not war.”
Second, in the face of growing tensions, it is essential that
Ambassador Morningstar urge the Azerbaijani government to comply
with the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe)
Minsk Group 1994 ceasefire agreement and work toward a comprehensive
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis.
And finally, it is imperative that Ambassador Morningstar fulfill
the commitment he made during his nomination hearing to do everything
he can to travel to the Djulfa Armenian cemetery to investigate its
appalling 2005 desecration by Azerbaijan.
I look forward to working with Ambassador Morningstar as he addresses
these and many other challenges in the South Caucasus region, and
thank him for his service to our country.