11:53,
YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan will visit Lithuania on April 18-20 on an official trip.
During the visit the Armenian President will meet his Lithuanian counterpart and other high-ranking officials, Khachaturyan’s Office said in a press release.
He will also participate in the opening of an Armenian-Lithuanian Business Forum.
12:47,
YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. The two Azerbaijani servicemen who were arrested in Armenia after illegally crossing the border have been remanded, prosecutors announced Monday.
The two servicemen, Azeri nationals Aghsin G. Babirov and Hussein A. Akhundov, are charged with conspiracy to illegally cross the state border of Armenia and conspiracy to smuggle firearms and ammunition.
The Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan approved the National Security Service investigators’ motion on jailing the two Azeri nationals pending trial.
An Azerbaijani soldier, who was detained in the town of Kapan in Armenia’s Syunik Province on Thursday, posted a video on social media before his capture.
“We shed the blood of Armenians. We beheaded Armenians. And now we are still alive, not dead,” he says in the video circulating on Telegram.
“If we even die, let them appreciate us. We are not traitors,” the soldier adds.
The Armenian Defense Ministry reported the detention of the Azerbaijani serviceman earlier on Thursday.
He crossed into Armenia with a fellow soldier on Monday. The latter was found and detained by Armenia’s security forces shortly after crossing the border.
https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2023/04/13/Azeri-soldier-video/2820765
12:25,
YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS. On April 15, 12 people from Artsakh were transferred to various specialized medical centers in Armenia through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, ARMENPRESS reports, the Artsakh Ministry of Health said in a message.
“Due to the blocking by Azerbaijan of the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, 12 people with serious oncological and cardiovascular diseases from the “Republican Medical Center” CJSC of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Artsakh were transferred to the specialized medical centers of the Republic of Armenia with the mediation and escort of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
8 medical patients, who were referred to Armenia for treatment within the framework of the state order, returned to Artsakh. Scheduled surgeries continue to be suspended in the medical facilities operating under the Artsakh Ministry of Health.
3 children are in the neonatal and resuscitation department in “Arevik” medical unit. At the “Republican Medical Center”, 6 patients are in the intensive care unit, 3 of them are in an extremely serious condition,” reads the message.
Until today, a total of 317 patients have been transferred from Artsakh to Armenia with the mediation and escort of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Since December 12, 2022, a group of Azerbaijanis in civilian clothes blocked the Stepanakert-Goris highway connecting Artsakh to Armenia for environmental pretext. Azerbaijan cuts off the gas supply to Artsakh from time to time, the energy supply from Armenia to Artsakh was also cut off.
The Resurrection of Christ, Jacopo Robusti, Tintoretto, Oil on canvas. 350 x 230 cm. 1565, San Cassiano, Venice. (Photo: Lluís Ribes Mateu/Flickr)
In this world that’s overwhelmed with strife, division and evil, does Easter matter? We are surrounded by the Good Friday drama, as nations are torn in painful schism, as human rights violations destroy the lives of innocent people around the world.
In this world full of brutal blockades threatening the very existence of innocent human beings, does it make a difference that one Sunday morning long ago a stone was rolled away from a tomb? That love triumphed over hate, good over evil, light over darkness, life over death?
The past three months have been trying times for the people of Artsakh and Armenia. They have suffered enough, and they are yearning for the restoration of normal life. Since December 12, 2022, the Lachin Corridor, the only road leading in and out of Artsakh, has been blocked off by Azerbaijan, leaving 120,000 Armenians trapped in Artsakh. The blockade has caused shortages of electricity and gas, medicine and food. It has affected hundreds of separated families.
In addition to this man-made disaster, the earthquakes in southern Turkey and northern Syria have devastated many people, including fellow Armenians.
In the wake of these heart-rending realities, does Easter matter? Does Easter make any difference in the lives of people? More than ever, it does. The Easter message is one of hope. It tells Christian believers not to despair when their life plans are disrupted and their dreams are shattered because God is still in charge. We are Easter people, because we know our Lord is victorious and has given us the strength, power and will to live triumphantly. The joy of our Easter celebration is more than a passing event. It is symbolic of the joy of being with a Risen Savior and the promise of the newness of life He brings.
The Bible and the history of the Christian church tell us that Christians have dared to have hope in the face of discouraging facts, not because they hoped that things would get better but because they believed God was at work even in depressions and sufferings. St. Paul said in his Epistle to the Romans: “We rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us” (Romans 5:3-5).
Neither human resilience, nor positive thinking—or Pollyanna-type optimism—can engender real and enduring hope. Only God does. It is He Who enables us to hope in the face of apparent hopelessness. When we taste defeat and hopelessness, He gives us hope to endure. When we are bewildered, He is our hope for guidance. When we are bruised, He is our hope for healing. When we are bereaved, He is our hope for solace.
This is true on an individual as well as national level. How else can one explain the survival and enduring power of the Armenian people in the face of all evil designs that were cast against them? Despite the horrors that have been endured by the Armenian generations of the past, despite the darkness of the Armenian Genocide, despite the demonic forces that sought the destruction of our people, somehow the Christian hope survives; it nourishes and keeps us. The Bible says Christian hope does not depend on our state of feeling. It is God’s gift. It never disappoints (Romans 5:5). It is steadfast (1 Thess. 1:3).
We Armenians live in Christian hope because of what God has done in Christ through His resurrection. Christ lives and reigns triumphantly. Because He is a triumphant Lord, those who believe in Him shall also live victorious lives. This is the message of Easter and Christian hope. Yes, Christians live in the present with confidence and face the future with courage.
Kristos haryav ee merelotz.
Orhnyal eh harootyunen Kristosi.
The decision from Armenia, which is part of a Russian-led defense organization, stands in stark contrast to other Russian allies not deviating from loyalty to Moscow.
The ruling party of has Armenia warned that if Russian President Vladimir Putin comes to Armenia, the country will have no choice but to arrest him.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest earlier this month over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, particularly his alleged involvement in the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine. But the ICC doesn’t have power to enforce its warrants, and since Russia doesn’t recognize the court’s jurisdiction, much of its enforcement will depend on other countries’ willingness to step in if Putin travels.
“If Putin comes to Armenia, he should be arrested… It is better for Putin to stay in his country,” Gagik Melkonyan, deputy of the Armenian National Assembly, said this week, according to a Moscow Times translation of an interview with Factor.am. “If we enter into these agreements, then we must fulfill our obligations. Let Russia solve its problems with Ukraine.”
The decision from the ruling party of Armenia, which is part of a Russian-led collective defense organization, stands in stark contrast to other Kremlin allies that are not deviating from loyalty to Moscow. Hungary, which has close ties with Russia, announced it will not enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant for Putin last week.
Even though Armenia is technically a Russian ally—as part of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)—Armenia’s decision is just the latest indication that the country is willing to take matters into its own hands and hold Putin accountable. Just last week, Armenia took steps that will pave the way for it to ratify the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC.
“If we enter into these agreements, then we must fulfill our obligations,” Melkonyan said.
The Kremlin rebuked Armenia for entertaining the idea of joining the Rome Statute, according to a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“Moscow considers absolutely unacceptable the plans of official Yerevan to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court against the backdrop of the recent illegal and legally void ‘warrants’ of the ICC against the Russian leadership,” the source said early this week, according to TASS.
The Russian Foreign Ministry warned there would be “extremely negative” consequences for Armenia moving forward.
But Armenia is not alone, and other countries are banding together with plans to arrest Putin. Ireland, Croatia, Austria, and Germany have each said they will enforce the warrant.
The decision in Armenia suggest that Russia’s allies are growing more willing by the day to question Moscow’s judgment in the war in Ukraine over one year in to the conflict.
Indian officials have expressed concern over Putin’s war in Ukraine, urging against conflict and the use of nuclear weapons in the war. Chinese President Xi Jinping has also been caught off guard by Putin’s invasion, and has been dismayed at the way he is carrying it out, according to the U.S. intelligence community.
Tuesday,
Russia, Armenia Discuss Defense Cooperation Amid Tensions
Armenia - Russian members of a Russian-Armenian commission on defense
cooperation attend its session in Yerevan, .
A Russian-Armenian intergovernmental commission on bilateral defense cooperation
began a regular session in Yerevan on Tuesday amid growing friction between
Moscow and Yerevan.
The commission is specifically tasked with furthering “military-technical
cooperation,” which mainly involves supplies of weapons and/or their joint
manufacturing.
Opening the annual meeting, Armenian Deputy Defense Minister Karen Brutian
stressed the importance of deepening Russian-Armenian relations in this area.
Brutian expressed hope that the members of the joint task force will hold
“productive discussions” over the next few days.
The Armenian Defense Ministry reported no other details of the meeting.
Russia has long been the principal supplier of weapons and other military
equipment to Armenia.
In an apparent reference to Russia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian complained
last September that “our allies” have failed to deliver weapons to Armenia
despite contracts worth “hundreds of millions of dollars” signed in the last two
years. He did not shed light on those contracts.
Pashinian responded to opposition claims that his government has done little to
rebuild the Armenian armed forces after the 2020 war with Azerbaijan.
Brutian visited Moscow and met with his Russian counterpart Alexander Fomin in
November. No concrete agreements between the Russian and Armenian militaries
were announced as a result of that trip.
Russian-Armenian relations have deteriorated since then because of what the
Armenian government sees as a lack of Russian support in the conflict with
Azerbaijan.
Pashinian suggested in January that the close military ties with Russia may be
putting Armenia’s security and territorial integrity at greater risk. The
Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the claim as “absurd.”
The unprecedented tensions between the two allied states rose further late last
week after Armenia’s Constitutional Court gave the green light for parliamentary
ratification of the International Criminal Court’s founding treaty. The ruling
came one week after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President
Vladimir Putin over war crimes allegedly committed by Russia in Ukraine.
Moscow warned on Monday that Yerevan’s recognition of The Hague tribunal’s
jurisdiction would have “extremely negative” consequences for Russian-Armenian
relations. The Armenian government did not publicly react to the stern warning
as of Tuesday evening.
Some Armenian opposition figures claimed that Pashinian engineered the
Constitutional Court ruling to score points among the Western powers at
loggerheads with Russia.
Karabakh Armenians Again Reject ‘Reintegration’ Talks In Baku
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Nagorno-Karabakh - President Arayik Harutiunian chairs a meeting in Stepanakert,
..
Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership dismissed on Tuesday a fresh Azerbaijani offer to
send its representatives to Baku for talks on the Armenian-populated region’s
“reintegration” into Azerbaijan.
It reiterated that Azerbaijani and Karabakh officials should continue to meet at
the Karabakh headquarters of Russian peacekeeping forces and discuss, first and
foremost, humanitarian issues such as the reopening of the Lachin corridor
blocked by Baku for more than three months.
A statement released by the Karabakh foreign ministry also insisted on an
“internationally recognized negotiation format” for discussing with Baku a
broader political settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s office made the offer on Monday two days
after Azerbaijani troops seized a hill overlooking a dirt road that bypasses the
blocked section of the Lachin corridor. The authorities in Stepanakert as well
as the Russian peacekeepers accused Baku of violating the Russian-brokered
ceasefire that stopped the 2020 war in Karabakh.
The Karabakh statement said the timing of Aliyev’s latest offer shows that Baku
is keen to impose solutions on the Karabakh Armenians, rather than negotiate
with them in good faith.
Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, held on Monday an emergency meeting
with local officials and political leaders in Stepanakert. Harutiunian said the
Karabakh leaders need to “soberly assess” the worsening security and
humanitarian situation and “draw necessary conclusions.” The crisis can still be
resolved through “prudent steps,” he said in his publicized remarks.
A senior Karabakh lawmaker, Artur Harutiunian, said on Tuesday that those steps
depend on the outcome of the Russian peacekeepers’ continuing negotiations with
the Azerbaijani side aimed at ensuring their withdrawal from the occupied hill.
“After the negotiations are over and their results clear we will have to decide
our next steps,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Azerbaijani and Karabakh officials most recently met at the peacekeepers’
headquarters near Stepanakert on March 1. According to Karabakh’s leadership,
they discussed the restoration of “unimpeded” traffic thorough the Lachin
corridor and Armenia’s energy supplies to Karabakh.
An official Azerbaijani readout of the talks said, however, that they focused on
the Karabakh Armenians’ “integration into Azerbaijan.”
Arayik Harutiunian insisted afterwards that his representatives refused to
engage in such a discussion. He said Baku responded by threatening to take
“tougher and more drastic steps.” The Karabakh leader linked that to the March 5
shootout that left three Karabakh police officers and two Azerbaijani soldiers
dead.
U.S. Concerned About Azeri ‘Military Movements’ In Karabakh
Armenia - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs
Karen Donfried speaks to RFE/RL in Yerevan, June 20, 2022.
The United States has expressed concern about Azerbaijan’s weekend “military
movements” that further tightened its blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh’s land link
with Armenia.
Azerbaijani troops seized on Saturday a hill overlooking a dirt road that
bypasses a section of the Lachin corridor blocked by Baku for more than three
months.
Karen Donfried, the outgoing U.S. assistant secretary of state for Europe and
Eurasia, appeared to have discussed the development with Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in a phone call on Monday. The U.S. State Department
said she “expressed concern over Azerbaijani military movements.”
The Azerbaijani military claimed that it took “necessary measures” to stop
Armenia’s arms supplies to Karabakh.
The Armenian government and Karabakh’s leadership have flatly denied such
supplies repeatedly alleged by Baku in recent weeks. They say that the
Azerbaijani advance in Karabakh constitutes a serious breach of the
Russian-brokered that stopped the 2020 war.
The Russian Defense Ministry also accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire.
It said later on Saturday that Russian peacekeepers demanded that the
Azerbaijani troops return to “their previously occupied positions.” Baku has
ignored the demand so far.
A State Department spokesman, Vedant Patel, said Donfried also reaffirmed
Washington’s “commitment to Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations” and called
for “direct dialogue” between the conflicting parties.
“There is not a military solution to this conflict,” Patel told a news briefing
in Washington.
According to the Azerbaijani readout of the phone call, Bayramov accused Armenia
of adopting an “unconstructive position” in ongoing negotiations on an
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.
The United States has repeatedly called on the Azerbaijani side to lift the
blockade that has caused a serious humanitarian crisis in Karabakh. The U.S.
ambassador to Armenia, Kristina Kvien, made a point of visiting an Armenian
border checkpoint leading to the Lachin corridor earlier this month. Another
senior U.S. diplomat made clear, however, that Washington is not considering
imposing sanctions on Baku because of the blockade.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
20:01,
YEREVAN, MARCH 27, ARMENPRESS. On March 27, the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, convened an extraordinary extended-format session of the Security Council with the participation of representatives of the political forces of the National Assembly, ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the President of the Republic of Artsakh.
The President noted that the purpose of the meeting is to jointly discuss the existing problems in the created military-political situation and make the necessary decisions.
Speaking about Azerbaijan’s regular violation of the provisions of the trilateral declaration since 2020 and the consistent increase in humanitarian, socio-economic, military, political and psychological pressures on Artsakh in the conditions of the ongoing blockade since December 12, 2022, President Harutyunyan noted that despite our many statements and exhortations, international actors continue to limit themselves to declarative statements, being unconsistent in the implementation of weighty decisions.
“Therefore, our task is to soberly assess the degree of complexity and responsibility for the created situation, to re-evaluate all available resources and mechanisms to prevent possible new threats, and make the necessary conclusions and carry out relevant actions. I am sure that through our reasonable steps it is possible to overcome this difficult period, preserving and protecting the vital interests of the Republic of Artsakh,” President Harutyunyan emphasized.
Defense Minister Kamo Vardanyan made a report on the operational situation at the session.
There was an exchange of ideas on the issues of the agenda.
The President of the Republic gave a number of instructions to the relevant bodies.
Russia has no doubt that trilateral agreements with Armenia and Azerbaijan remain key for the settlement of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that proclaimed its independence from Baku in 1991, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 20th March, 2023) Russia has no doubt that trilateral agreements with Armenia and Azerbaijan remain key for the settlement of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that proclaimed its independence from Baku in 1991, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday.
“We have no doubt that the trilateral statements of Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders remain the key for the implementation of all decisions to ensure the stabilization of the situation. In the economic, military-political and international legal spheres,” Lavrov said during a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
The decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again in September 2020, marking the worst escalation since the 1990s. Hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered trilateral declaration of ceasefire signed in November 2020.
The two former Soviet countries agreed to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region. Occasional clashes have since occurred on the border.
Since December 2022, the Lachin Corridor � a road which runs through Azerbaijani territory and serves as the only link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh � has been blocked by a group of people from Azerbaijan described by Baku as environmental activists protesting alleged illegal Armenian mining in the area.
The United Nations’ main judicial body ruled in February that Azerbaijan must ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor. Armenia argued in the court filing that the activists were acting on Baku’s command and demanded that it “cease its orchestration and support” of the blockade.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/russia-armenia-azerbaijan-agreements-remain-k-1662441.html
WASHINGTON, DC – As Azerbaijan’s siege of Artsakh passed the 100-day mark this week, a bipartisan group of 69 US Representatives, led by Congressional Armenian Caucus founding co-chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), once again called for ending military aid to Azerbaijan and sending $150 million in assistance to Artsakh and Armenia, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The request comes in the form of a letter to Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations Chairman Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL) and Ranking Member Barbara Lee (D-CA), who have already begun drafting the US House version of the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) foreign aid bill.
“Continued US military aid to Azerbaijan represents a free pass for Azerbaijani aggression, a greenlight for Azerbaijani escalation,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “It should have stopped on day one with President Biden, who entered office as a sharp critic of arming and aiding Aliyev. But, if our President won’t do what’s right, Congress needs to act.”
Joining Chairman Pallone in co-signing the letter are Representatives: Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Joaquín Castro (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Lou Correa (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Jared Golden (D-ME), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Mike Levin (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), James McGovern (D-MA), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Katie Porter (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), and Susan Wild (D-PA).
The letter includes the following budgetary requests:
— $100 million for security, economic, governance, and rule of law assistance to Armenia
— $50 million for Artsakh to provide a comprehensive assistance strategy and support the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh in their rebuilding and resettlement efforts – along with an additional $2 million for humanitarian demining and UXO clearance.
— The suspension of all US military and security aid to Azerbaijan and a State Department assessment of potential sanctions against Azeri officials found to have supported human rights abuses and war crimes.
— Language supporting the Administration’s efforts to secure the release of Armenian POWs illegally held by Azerbaijan.
Over 50,000 pro-Artsakh advocates used the ANCA action platform writing, tweeting and calling their US Representative to co-sign the Congressional letter.
The full text of the Armenian Caucus letter is provided below and available online.
#####
Dear Chairman Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Lee:
We write to thank the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs for your longstanding support of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). This includes the important language you incorporated into the Fiscal Year 2023 bill, providing $60 million in funding for Armenia, $2 million in demining assistance for Artsakh, and an assistance strategy for addressing the humanitarian needs from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We ask that you build on these historic investments by considering the inclusion of the below provisions that will help strengthen America’s standing with partner countries in the region and hold Azerbaijan accountable for its ongoing hostilities in Artsakh and Armenia, including the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The blockade has intentionally deprived Artsakh’s 120,000 Armenians of essential good, including food, fuel, medical supplies, electricity, and internet access.
Robust U.S. Assistance in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)
Azerbaijan’s inhumane blockade of Artsakh has left the region’s Armenian population on the brink of a humanitarian crisis and threatens to have lasting consequences on the region’s security. These cruel actions are taking place as the people of Artsakh continue to face severe hardships caused by the deadly 44-day war Azerbaijani forces launched in 2020. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 88 percent of the approximately 90,000 refugees displaced to Armenia were women, children, and the elderly. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also acknowledges that an “acute humanitarian crisis” continues for many of these families, including those who have been able to return to Artsakh. Unfortunately, the assistance provided to date by the U.S. government is wholly insufficient to address the overwhelming needs of these people.
The U.S. has historically promoted peace in Artsakh through U.S. government-funded landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance efforts and enabled rebuilding by investing in humanitarian assistance initiatives. We are requesting the State Department and USAID to deliver on the humanitarian assistance strategy mandated in the FY23 Appropriations Bill that lives up to our American humanitarian commitments. This vital package would help provide Armenian refugees with the aid, housing, food security, water and sanitation, health care, rehabilitation, and demining/UXO clearance they need to reconstruct their communities, rebuild their lives, and resettle their homes.
We urge you to include the following provisions in the body of the foreign aid bill:
· Of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $2,000,000 shall be made available for assistance in Nagorno-Karabakh to provide humanitarian demining and UXO clearance and $50,000,000 shall be made available to support rebuilding and resettlement efforts by Armenian victims in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as address the long-term consequences of Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Such assistance will help to meet basic human needs, including maternal healthcare, drinking water programs, as well as food and energy security and access to internet.
Security, Economic, and Governance Assistance for Armenia
The United States remains uniquely positioned to make important diplomatic advances in the South Caucasus. This is especially true in Armenia, an ancient nation with a modern democracy that continues to make democratic reforms in a region dominated by autocratic leaders. Providing significant assistance to Armenia will help make it more secure, bolster its democracy, sustain economic development, and stabilize its civil society. Providing security assistance to Armenia at this time is especially important as the Armenian people seek international assistance in protecting their sovereignty in the face of a constant Azerbaijani expansionism and authoritarianism.
This critical investment will build on past support for Armenia and Artsakh by the Subcommittee and will help strengthen the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership, solidify our presence, and grow our influence in the region. We request the following language be included in this legislation:
· Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $100 million shall be made available for Armenia prioritizing security assistance, economic development, private sector productivity, energy independence, democracy and the rule of law, and other purposes.
Prohibition on U.S. Military Aid to Azerbaijan and Sanctions
Despite assurances by the State Department that U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan has not materially aided aggression against Armenia and Artsakh, it is abundantly clear that the continued waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, amidst Azerbaijan’s unabated policy of aggression, has emboldened this violent pattern of behavior.
President Ilham Aliyev began his brutal 2020 assault on Artsakh not long after receiving over $100 million in security assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019. Azerbaijani forces used advanced Turkish drones, cluster munitions, and white phosphorus to indiscriminately attack homes, churches, and hospitals that killed thousands during the 44-day war. While a ceasefire halting the war was signed in November 2020, Azerbaijani forces continue their aggressive behavior in the region. This includes an assault on Armenia’s sovereign territory in September 2022, which saw Azerbaijani forces occupy over 50 square miles of territory and perpetrate horrific war crimes such as the execution of unarmed Armenian prisoners of war.
The blockade of the Lachin Corridor that Azerbaijan imposed on December 12, 2022, is designed to deny the region’s Armenian population access to essential humanitarian goods and clearly highlights the Aliyev regime’s unwillingness to seriously negotiate a fair, lasting peace deal. It is imperative that our government stops rewarding behavior that undermines our interests in ensuring a negotiated settlement for this crisis and that we respect the fundamental rights of Artsakh’s vulnerable Armenian population.
The Section 333 funding, along with other U.S. funding to Azerbaijan through the IMET and FMF programs breaks with an over two-decades long policy of parity in security assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan, significantly increasing American support for the authoritarian Aliyev regime. In fact, according to a January 31, 2022, report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the State Department likely violated Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act in sending this and other assistance to Azerbaijan from 2014 to 2021. They did so by not properly consulting and communicating with Congress on what processes they used to determine whether U.S. aid to Azerbaijan could be used for offensive purposes against Armenia.
Holding Azerbaijan accountable is long overdue and must begin with Congress encouraging the Administration to fully enforce Section 907, restricting the Administration’s authority to waive this law, and enacting statutory prohibitions on any new or pending U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan. Congress must also urge the Administration to provide a report on Azerbaijan’s eligibility for military assistance under the Leahy Laws. We request that the following language be included in the final SFOPs bill:
· None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan through U.S. military or security assistance programs. To inform the reevaluation of any future security assistance to Azerbaijan, the Secretary of State is directed to provide a report on Azerbaijan’s eligibility for military assistance programs under existing statutes. Additionally, the Secretary of State is directed to develop and submit to the Committee on Appropriations an assessment of the eligibility of Azerbaijani officials involved in the commissioning of human rights abuses and war crimes under existing statutes.
Armenian Prisoners of War and Captured Civilians
On November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed a tripartite statement to end the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, where all parties agreed that the ‘‘exchange of prisoners of war, hostages, and other detainees as well as the remains of the fatalities shall be carried out.” However, the Government of Azerbaijan continues to detain an estimated 130 Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and detained persons, misrepresenting their status to justify their continued captivity. We request that the following language be included in the final SFOPs bill:
· The Committee is concerned by Azerbaijan’s failure to immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians and, thus, (2) urges the Secretary of State to continue engaging at all levels with Azerbaijani authorities, including through the OSCE Minsk Group process, to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations, under the November 9 statement and international law, to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.
Again, thank you for your leadership on the Subcommittee. We appreciate your consideration of these requests.
Sincerely,