Dear Representative:
I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor and support the passage of thirteen pro-peace amendments to the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA HR 2670), which call for Congressional action to:
– send humanitarian aid to Artsakh
– stop U.S. arms and aid to Azerbaijan
– end Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh
– secure release of Armenian POWs
– sanction Turkey and Azerbaijan
The specific amendments and their descriptions are provided below:
Amendment 163 – Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)
Directs a report to Congress on the humanitarian impact of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and a long-term assessment of the blockade’s impact on Nagorno-Karabakh’s food, agricultural, water, and energy security.
Amendment 340 – Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) & Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
Prohibition on military aid and security assistance to the defense, security, and border forces of the Government of Azerbaijan.
Amendment 426 – Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA)
Commissions a report on the energy partnerships Azerbaijan has had with Russian and Iranian companies under international sanctions.
Amendment 556 – Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) & Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)
Requires the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to submit a report to Congress concerning the end-use monitoring of Turkish F-16s to Azerbaijan during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Amendment 692 – Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) & Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
Sense of Congress on potential human rights violations in Nagorno-Karabakh and calling for the unimpeded movement of essential human rights assistance and commercial activities through the Lachin Corridor.
Amendment 721 – Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ)
Requires the Secretary of State to provide the relevant Congressional Committees updates on the status of freedom of movement in the Lachin Corridor.
Amendment 858 – Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-NJ)
Requires the Secretary of State to report on if U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan is being used to undermine the status of ongoing peace negotiations with Armenia.
Amendment 863 – Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)
Requires a report into the applicability of sanctions under existing statute (Magnitsky Act) to designate Azerbaijani government and military officials complicit in the perpetration of human rights abuses during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and in relation to the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor.
Amendment 947 – Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Directs the State Department, in coordination with the Defense Department, to report to Congress on their rationale for waiving section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, a provision of current law that prohibits U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. The amendment also expresses the sense of Congress that the waiver of section 907 has emboldened Azerbaijan to violate human rights and international law with impunity.
Amendment 1087 – Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA)
Directs the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State to create a report on US parts and technology discovered in Turkish Bayraktar drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s use of prohibited munitions against Nagorno Karabakh and Turkey and Azerbaijan’s recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters to participate in military operations against Nagorno Karabakh.
Amendment 1127 – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Prohibits DOD, State, and Commerce from authorizing new export licenses for offensive weapons for Azerbaijan, until Azerbaijan ceases the offensive use of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Amendment 1132 – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Expresses it is the sense of Congress that any lasting peace in the South Caucasus must ensure that the inalienable right to self-determination of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh is upheld.
Amendment 1160 – Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Expressing the sense of Congress regarding Armenian POWs being held by Azerbaijan.
My family and friends are following this issue closely and look forward to learning of your leadership to secure the adoption of these amendments which hold Azerbaijan accountable for its seven-month blockade of Artsakh and escalating anti-Armenian aggression.
Sincerely,
