Dear Senator Reed:
With the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 having passed through committee last week – I am writing as a constituent of U.S. Senator Jack Reed to request that he – as Chair of the Senate Committee on Armed Services – makes sure that the final bill considered on the floor of the U.S. Senate eliminates the waiver authority granted to the Executive Branch in 2001 with respect to Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act as it relates to restricting U.S. assistance to the Republic of Azerbaijan. I also want to make sure that the final bill is absolutely clear that no U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan will be allowed to be sent to Ilham Aliyev’s petro-monarchy through the Section 333 Program.
I am disgusted that Azerbaijan – which sought to complete the Armenian Genocide last year by killing thousands of Armenians in Artsakh – is still receiving U.S. military aid.
This is unacceptable.
I am respectfully requesting Senator Reed – as my Senator and as Chair of the Senate Committee on Armed Services – find the proper path in the National Defense Authorization Act to eliminate the Section 907 waiver authority and end all U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan through Section 333 Program.
On behalf of my family and friends in Rhode Island – thank you for considering my strongly held view on this human rights matter. I look forward to Senator Reed’s leadership on this issue.
Sincerely,