08/13/2014: Tweeted urging Azerbaijan to end its aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh: 'Saddened by deaths of Armenian & Azeri troops & attacks on RedCross staff. I hope for no further violence & for peace & diplomacy in future.? http://asbarez.com/125890/congressional-pressure-grows-to-stop-aliyevs-aggression/

02/27/14 - Statement submitted for the Congressional Record on the Sumgait mssacres - 'Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the twenty-sixth anniversary of pogroms against people of Armenian descent in Sumgait , Azerbaijan, and call for long-overdue justice.

On February 27th 1988, Sumgait was the scene for organised anti-Armenian violence, leading to the death of more than thirty Armenians, with hundreds more gravely injured. Armenians were attacked and maimed for three days. Despite Baku's 30-minute proximity to Sumgait , police failed to react, allowing the brutality to continue.

This brutality took many forms and was well-documented. On May 22nd 1988, The New York Times reported Armenians being ``hunted'' down and gave an account of a pregnant Armenian woman who had been disembowelled so that the unborn baby could be mutilated. Two months earlier, The Washington Post gave accounts of an Armenian skinned alive and a woman being raped and murdered after her breasts were cut off. These atrocities were highlighted by the Members of Congress at the time, who condemned this state-sponsored massacre against Armenian civilians.

The failure to act by the Azerbaijani authorities and our failure to compel action has resulted in a tidal wave of animosity towards the Armenians, which manifests itself in several ways. Azerbaijani forces east of Karabagh continue to disregard the ceasefire established after the Karabagh war in 1994. Ramil Safarov, who decapitated an Armenian Lieutenant while he slept during a NATO-sponsored training program in 2004, returned home as a hero and was held up as ``an example of patriotism for the Azerbaijani youth'' by the Commissioner for Human Rights of Azerbaijan, Elmira Suleymanova. All the while, Ilham Aliyev continues his brazen rhetoric; consistently declaring Armenians as the national enemy in an effort to unite the Azeri public.

The hatred towards the Armenians is unrelenting, even at the expense of the freedom of their own people. When 75 year old Alcram Ayslisi--one of Azerbaijan's most celebrated writers--had the temerity to consider the conflict from an unbiased perspective, he was subjected to a witch hunt that would not have looked out of place in medieval Europe. His books were burnt. He was stripped of his national literary awards, and, most worryingly, a high ranking politician had promised $13,000 to anyone who could cut off his ear.

I call upon all of my colleagues and fellow Americans to join me in condemning the continued violence and injustice, and continue efforts to ensure that these atrocities never repeat themselves. '

07/25/13 - Gave an impassioned speech at AHI Cyprus event, where he said that he would risk his political career for Cyprus.

05/03/13 - Statement submitted for the Congressional Record in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide - 'Mr. Speaker, today, in recognition of the National Day of Remembrance of Man's Inhumanity to Man, created in 1975 to remember the victims of inhumanity, specifically the Armenian people who lost their lives in the early part of the 20th century, I would like to note its importance to our nation.

Nearly 100 years ago, the hatred of one race toward another spilled over from politics into the murder of more than 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of Ottoman soldiers. This day not only recognizes those murdered in that genocide, but also the staggering inhumanity and atrocious acts of violence committed so often throughout human history. This day should serve to not only remind us of millions of lives lost, but that we must act with vigilance to ensure that atrocities are not allowed to ever occur again.

As we remember this dark period in history, we should remain hopeful, because goodness exists and that it is possible to prevent such horrific losses. I stand united with the Armenian people and the rest of America to take up that challenge.'