During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on May 21, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that preventing a renewed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan—specifically an Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia—is a key foreign policy focus of the Trump-Vance Administration.
Rubio was questioned by Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Jim Costa (D-CA), who pressed him on Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression and its illegal detention of Armenian prisoners of war and political detainees.
Rubio emphasized that the United States has been focused on working toward establishing peace between the two nations. “With regard to Azerbaijan, our main focus has been to work towards establishing peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” he said. “There’s a real risk there of a conflict that we’re trying to prevent from happening. Our teams have been very engaged in that regard in trying to make something come about and prevent an armed intervention there.”
He added that human rights and prisoners remain central to the U.S. approach: “The release of Armenian prisoners is a critical component of our diplomatic efforts.” Rubio also acknowledged the challenge of engaging with authoritarian regimes: “We have to deal with countries that in many cases do not have an ideal model,” he said, adding that the U.S. must balance diplomacy with national interests.
Congressman Chris Smith directly condemned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s actions and demanded urgent U.S. intervention. “Aliyev is a dictator… release those prisoners. They’re being horribly mistreated,” Smith said. “It’s very clear that after the genocide committed by Aliyev against the Armenians, there are many, many political prisoners and POWs being held. I would just encourage you to do whatever you can to get those men and women released.”
Congressman Jim Costa also echoed calls for stronger U.S. engagement in holding Azerbaijan accountable and supporting Armenia’s sovereignty and security.
“We thank Congressmen Smith and Costa for raising the urgent need for stronger U.S. leadership in holding Azerbaijan accountable for its aggression and ongoing abuse of Armenian hostages, and welcome Secretary Rubio‘s constructive response — in particular his assurance that the Trump-Vance Administration is committed to preventing an Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia and ensuring the release of Armenian prisoners,” stated Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
