66 Members of Congress signed a letter to the House Appropriations Committee urging a $250 million aid package for the Armenian people. The letter also called for language holding President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan accountable for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), reports the Armenian Assembly.
The letter requested “not less than $200,000,000 to support victims from Artsakh currently residing in the Republic of Armenia, who were forced to flee their ancestral homeland by Azerbaijan’s genocidal campaign in 2023 and have the right to return to their homes under international guarantees.”
Additional funding was requested to “enable the Republic of Armenia to protect its territorial integrity, secure its energy independence, support further democratic reforms, and increase cooperation with the United States,” in the amount of $30 million for security assistance – including $20 million for Foreign Military Financing and $10 million for International Military Education and Training – as well as $10 million for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, and $10 million to support democratic reforms in Armenia.
The letter concludes with reporting on Azerbaijan’s human rights abuses, and the Aliyev regime’s corrupt practices, stating that “The Department of State and other international actors have failed to hold these bad actors accountable, and it is far past time that the U.S. seriously consider imposing sanctions to make them answer for these violations of international law.”
To that end, the letter requests that “none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan through U.S. military or security assistance programs.”
“The Assembly appreciates the support of Members of Congress who have signed onto this crucial letter,” said Mariam Khaloyan, Director of Assembly Congressional Relations, adding, “It highlights the importance of aid to Armenia and the displaced people of Artsakh, who were driven from their ancestral homeland by Azerbaijan’s genocidal campaign.”
Supporters of this letter include: Nanette Barragan (D-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Mike Levin (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jim Himes (D-CT), John Larson (D-CT), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Darren Soto (D-FL), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Sean Casten (D-IL), Danny Davis (D-IL), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Robin Kelly (D-IL), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alma Adams (D-NC), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ), Mikie Sherril (D-NJ), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Dina Titus (D-NV), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), Michael Lawler (R-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Tom Suozzi (R-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Susan Wild (D-PA), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Donald Beyer (D-VA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA).
