Members of U.S. Congress Frank Pallone, Gus Bilirakis, Jackie Speier, David Valadao and Adam Schiff have sent a letter to President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Arayik Harutyunyan on the 31st anniversary of Artsakh’s Independence Day.
“We write to congratulate you and the people of the Republic of Artsakh on your 31st Independence Day. The United States Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues offers our support and stands with your people as you face the ongoing challenges and threats posed by Azerbaijan with incredible resilience,” the lawmakers said in a statement, according to Armenpress.
“We are pushing the United States government to take every available diplomatic action possible to penalize the Azerbaijani and Turkish regimes for their attacks in 2020 and their deadly actions that continue to this day. We are strongly urging the Biden Administration to commit meaningful aid to the displaced families from Artsakh currently in Armenia and to those who bravely remain in your country after these deadly attacks. This conflict demonstrates the dire need for international actors to pressure President Aliyev into halting his blatant human rights violations and return in good faith to negotiations. In addition, we recognize the importance of having the people of Artsakh directly participate in negotiations regarding the country’s territorial integrity, its international status, and its ability to secure a durable and lasting peace.”
The Members of Congress said they remain committed to advocating for official engagement between the United States government and the Karabakh administration, and look forward to working with Harutyunyan to build on Artsakh’s transformation.