Dear Representative:
I am writing to ask you to cosponsor and work for the immediate passage of a new resolution to break the brutal blockade that oil-rich Azerbaijan put in place on December 11th against the 120,000 Christian Armenians living in their indigenous Artsakh homeland.
This balanced resolution, in addition to forcefully condemning Azerbaijan’s actions, would place the U.S. House of Representatives on record in favor of five reasonable remedies to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Artsakh caused by the lack of food, medicine, and other vital necessities:
1) U.S. leadership in rallying the global community to petition international and multinational courts to investigate Azerbaijani war crimes.
2) U.S. cooperation with international partners, including Artsakh authorities, in securing the deployment of international observers to the Lachin Corridor.
3) Presidential action to immediately suspend any U.S. military or security assistance to Azerbaijan, and to enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act
4) Presidential enforcement of statutory sanctions authority against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the blockade of Artsakh and other human rights violations
5) A robust program of sustained U.S. humanitarian relief and longer-term development assistance to the Armenian victims of Azerbaijani aggression in Artsakh.
Sadly, Azerbaijan’s current blockade of Artsakh – backed by Recep Erdogan’s increasingly hostile Turkish regime – is only the most recent example of the oil-rich Aliyev family’s three-decade-long record of attacks and ethnic cleansing of Armenians upon their ancient patrimony. This dictatorship does not need and surely does not deserve any American tax dollars. The President should enforce Section 907 restrictions against aid to Azerbaijan, and – if he does not – Congress needs to step in to make sure U.S. funds never aid, abet, or arm Azerbaijan.
Please review this bipartisan measure, introduced by Congressman Frank Pallone, founding Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, and contact his office to signal your support for its timely passage. As always, you and your staff can contact the Armenian National Committee of America with any questions or requests for additional information.
