Washington, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomes a bipartisan Congressional letter led by Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA), urging newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate and decisive action to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its war crimes, secure the release of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and political detainees, and support the right of Artsakh’s forcibly displaced Armenians to return to their homeland.
“For too long, Azerbaijan has acted with impunity – blockading Artsakh, committing genocide against its people, occupying sovereign Armenian territory, and illegally imprisoning Artsakh leaders and POWs,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “The United States cannot turn a blind eye to these crimes. Secretary Rubio has an opportunity to reverse this dangerous pattern by fully enforcing Section 907, applying targeted Magnitsky sanctions, and championing the protected return of Artsakh’s Armenians to their rightful homeland.”
In the February 6th letter, the Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders assert, “A durable and dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan requires strict accountability and must be founded upon the collected and protected return of Armenians to their indigenous Nagorno-Karabakh homeland.”
ANCA
