WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian Congressional Caucus, including Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Congressman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-28), and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (CA-14), issued the following statement on the Nagorno Karabakh Peace Deal:
“As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, we offer our deepest condolences to the people of Armenia and Artsakh. They bravely defended their homeland against Azerbaijan and Turkish-backed foreign mercenaries, facing devastating drone attacks, and enduring atrocities committed by Azeri forces. We stand with Armenia and Artsakh and reaffirm our continued support for Armenia’s democratic government and Artsakh’s right to self-determination.
We are deeply disappointed in the failure of the United States to play a productive role in avoiding this tragic outcome. Since the beginning of the Azeri offensive on September 27, 2020, we have called on the Administration to use all available resources to hold Turkey and Azerbaijan accountable. If the Administration had acted in a determined fashion to achieve a ceasefire and used levers like withholding military aid, reinstating Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and sanctions, thousands of lives could have been saved and a return to peaceful negotiation would have been possible.
As we study the agreement announced yesterday, we will redouble our efforts to support Armenia and Artsakh against Azerbaijan and Turkey’s outrageous hostility and to hold all those who committed atrocities against civilians in recent weeks accountable. The United States must not continue to passively ignore the threat Turkey poses to the stability of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, and the Caucuses.”
