Dear President Biden,
I am – first and foremost – deeply outraged that you have failed to openly condemn and materially confront the aggression, war crimes, and human rights abuses committed by dictatorial Azerbaijan and its Turkish/ISIS allies against democratic Artsakh and Armenia. Our government – against all evidence – refuses to condemn the very violence that Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev proudly boasts of having visited upon Armenians living peacefully in their indigenous homeland.
I ask that you immediately correct this profound failing by publicly denouncing Azerbaijan’s belligerence, and then – consistent with U.S. interests and American values – backing up this stand with the following decisive steps:
— Withdrawing your Presidential waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, fully enforcing this statute, and ceasing any and all U.S. military or security assistance to Azerbaijan, including Section 333 (Capacity Building), Foreign Military Financing, and International Military Education and Training – on the basis of Section 502B(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act, the Leahy Laws, Section 907, and other provisions of U.S. law.
— Providing at least $100,000,000 in immediate, direct U.S. humanitarian aid to the more than 100,000 Armenians ethnically cleansed by Azerbaijan from their Artsakh homeland, helping these families rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland.
— Directing the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control to enforce Global Magnitsky sanctions against senior Azerbaijani officials guilty of committing war crimes against Artsakh and Armenia, among them President Ilham Aliyev, Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, and former Chief of the General Staff Sadikov Najmeddin Huseynoglu.
— Condemning Azerbaijan’s illegal detention and documented abuse of Armenian prisoners of war, demanding their immediate and unconditional release, under the Third Geneva Convention and other instruments of international law. This call should be unilateral, publicly and prominently highlighting the fact that Azerbaijan is the only party to the conflict to hold prisoners of war.
— Conducting a comprehensive investigation – consistent with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 – regarding Turkey’s recruitment of Syrian terrorist mercenaries, Azerbaijan’s use of illegal cluster bombs and white phosphorous, and potential violations of U.S. arms export and other laws related to the discovery of U.S. parts in the Turkish drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh.
— Denouncing Turkey’s material military backing of Azerbaijan’s ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh and ongoing aggression against Armenia, and actively countering Ankara’s attempts to arm-twist Armenia into “normalizing” bilateral ties at the expense of Artsakh’s independence and justice for the Armenian Genocide.
— Censuring Azerbaijan’s destruction of Christian Armenian churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and other holy sites, and providing the full range of U.S. satellite and other monitoring resources to academic and civil society organizations tracking this cultural and religious desecration.
Parallel to these initiatives, as part of a fundamental reset in U.S. policy on Artsakh and Armenia, I urge you to undertake a thorough review of U.S. failures, starting with an inquiry into the inexcusable refusal of both the current and previous administrations to condemn and confront Azerbaijan’s aggression against both Artsakh and Armenia. This review should examine:
— The U.S. failure to adequately prevent violations of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act and other U.S. laws related to Azerbaijan.
— The U.S. failure to provide adequate humanitarian aid to the over 100,000 Armenians ethnically-cleansed from their indigenous Artsakh homeland.
— The U.S. failure to confront Azerbaijan or to hold its leaders accountable for illegally holding, abusing, and killing Armenian Prisoners of War.
— The U.S. failure to hold U.S. manufacturers, the Turkish government, and other stakeholders responsible for violations of U.S. laws related to the discovery of U.S. parts in Turkish drones deployed by Azerbaijan.
— The U.S. failure to hold Turkey’s leaders accountable for recruiting foreign terrorist fighters to fight with Azerbaijani forces against Artsakh.
— The U.S. failure hold Azerbaijan’s leaders accountable for using cluster bombs, white phosphorous, and other prohibited munitions against Artsakh.
— The U.S. failure to hold Azerbaijan’s leaders accountable for invading and occupying sovereign Armenian territory.
Azerbaijan’s aggression and ongoing anti-Armenian actions are clearly consistent with President Ilham Aliyev’s public threats to conquer Armenia, including its capital Yerevan and its Sevan and the Sunik regions as “historic Azerbaijani territory.” The intentions of Azerbaijan – and its enabler Turkey – are manifestly evident: To continue their aggression against Armenia and Artsakh with the ultimate goal of the genocidal destruction of the first Christian nation.
The United States must step forward to protect Artsakh’s security; defend Armenia’s sovereignty, hold Baku and Ankara responsible for their war crimes and ongoing hostility; strengthen the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership, and; lock-in permanent U.S. Executive Branch remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.
Thank you for your attention to my requests for immediate action on each of these policy priorities. My family and I await your response to each of our concerns.
Sincerely,
====================================================================================================================================
Dear Senator/Representative:
I am – first and foremost – deeply outraged that you have failed to openly condemn and materially confront the aggression, war crimes, and human rights abuses committed by dictatorial Azerbaijan and its Turkish/ISIS allies against democratic Artsakh and Armenia. Our government – against all evidence – refuses to condemn the very violence that Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev proudly boasts of having visited upon Armenians living peacefully in their indigenous homeland.
I ask that you ensure that the U.S. Congress and Executive Branch correct this profound failing by publicly denouncing Azerbaijan’s belligerence, and then – consistent with U.S. interests and American values – backing up this stand with the following decisive steps:
— Rescinding the President’s authority to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, ensuring that this statue restricting U.S. aid to Azerbaijan is fully enforced.
— Cutting any and all U.S. military or security assistance to Azerbaijan, including Section 333 (Capacity Building), Foreign Military Financing, and International Military Education and Training – on the basis of Section 502B(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act, the Leahy Laws, Section 907, and other provisions of U.S. law.
— Appropriating at least $100,000,000 in immediate, direct U.S. humanitarian aid to the more than 100,000 Armenians ethnically cleansed by Azerbaijan from their Artsakh homeland, helping these families rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland.
— Demanding that the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control enforce Global Magnitsky sanctions against senior Azerbaijani officials guilty of committing war crimes against Artsakh and Armenia, among them President Ilham Aliyev, Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, and former Chief of the General Staff Sadikov Najmeddin Huseynoglu.
— Condemning Azerbaijan’s illegal detention and documented abuse of Armenian prisoners of war, demanding their immediate and unconditional release, under the Third Geneva Convention and other instruments of international law. This call should be unilateral, publicly, and prominently highlighting the fact that Azerbaijan is the only party to the conflict to hold prisoners of war.
— Conducting a comprehensive Congressional investigation – consistent with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 – regarding Turkey’s recruitment of Syrian terrorist mercenaries, Azerbaijan’s use of illegal cluster bombs and white phosphorous, and potential violations of U.S. arms export and other laws related to the discovery of U.S. parts in the Turkish drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh.
— Denouncing Turkey’s material military backing of Azerbaijan’s ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh and ongoing aggression against Armenia, and actively countering Ankara’s attempts to arm-twist Armenia into “normalizing” bilateral ties at the expense of Artsakh’s independence and justice for the Armenian Genocide.
— Censuring Azerbaijan’s destruction of Christian Armenian churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and other holy sites, and providing the full range of U.S. satellite and other monitoring resources to academic and civil society organizations tracking this cultural and religious desecration.
Parallel to these initiatives, as part of a fundamental reset in U.S. policy on Artsakh and Armenia, I urge you to pursue a thorough Congressional review of U.S. failures, starting with an inquiry into the inexcusable refusal of both the current and previous administrations to condemn and confront Azerbaijan’s aggression against both Artsakh and Armenia. This review should examine:
— The U.S. failure to adequately prevent violations of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act and other U.S. laws related to Azerbaijan.
— The U.S. failure to provide adequate humanitarian aid to the over 100,000 Armenians ethnically-cleansed from their indigenous Artsakh homeland.
— The U.S. failure to confront Azerbaijan or to hold its leaders accountable for illegally holding, abusing, and killing Armenian Prisoners of War.
— The U.S. failure to hold U.S. manufacturers, the Turkish government, and other stakeholders responsible for violations of U.S. laws related to the discovery of U.S. parts in Turkish drones deployed by Azerbaijan.
— The U.S. failure to hold Turkey’s leaders accountable for recruiting foreign terrorist fighters to fight with Azerbaijani forces against Artsakh.
— The U.S. failure hold Azerbaijan’s leaders accountable for using cluster bombs, white phosphorous, and other prohibited munitions against Artsakh.
— The U.S. failure to hold Azerbaijan’s leaders accountable for invading and occupying sovereign Armenian territory.
Azerbaijan’s aggression and ongoing anti-Armenian actions are clearly consistent with President Ilham Aliyev’s public threats to conquer Armenia, including its capital Yerevan and its Sevan and Sunik regions as “historic Azerbaijani territory.” The intentions of Azerbaijan – and its enabler Turkey – are manifestly evident: To continue their aggression against Armenia and Artsakh with the ultimate goal of the genocidal destruction of the first Christian nation.
The U.S. Congress must step forward to protect Artsakh’s security; defend Armenia’s sovereignty, hold Baku and Ankara responsible for their war crimes and ongoing hostility; strengthen the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership, and; lock-in permanent U.S. Executive Branch remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.
Thank you for your attention to my requests for immediate action on each of these policy priorities. My family and I await your response to each of our concerns.
Sincerely,
