Washington, D.C. – Today, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) welcomed an announcement by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) that he, along with a bipartisan group of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, will introduce a resolution tomorrow supporting the Republic of Artsakh, recognizing its inalienable right to self-determination, and condemning Azerbaijan and Turkey.
“It is incredibly important for the House of Representatives to send a strong message of support for Artsakh and its people’s bid for independence, especially on the eve of important meetings between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers and Secretary of State Pompeo,” Rep. Pallone stated. “The international community has folded to Azerbaijani and Turkish pressure for too long, ignoring their constant bombastic rhetoric and their blatant military buildup over the years. As this bloody conflict continues, we believe now is the time to finally acknowledge Artsakh’s legitimate claims to independence on the world stage and grant formal recognition of their people’s right to self-determination,” Rep. Pallone continued.
The resolution specifically “condemns the September 27, 2020 military offensive launched by Azerbaijani and Turkish-backed forces on Artsakh,” calls to enforce “Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and withhold any further assistance to Azerbaijan until they end military operations against Artsakh,” and “affirms that the only peaceful, long-lasting resolution to this conflict will come from international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh.”
“We applaud Congressman Pallone for leading this bipartisan effort and very much appreciate the support of his colleagues,” stated Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. “Together, we will continue to press for the full enforcement of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and urge that Turkey be sanctioned for its actions, including for the recruitment and transport of jihadist mercenaries to Azerbaijan,” Khaloyan added.
Read also
In addition to Rep. Pallone, Jr., the following representatives are original cosponsors of this resolution: Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), TJ Cox (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), and Dina Titus (D-NV).
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
Armenian Assembly of America