Chairman Menendez Statement on Azerbaijan's Assault in Nagorno-Karabakh

Press Release

"I strongly condemn Azerbaijan's brazen assault today on innocent civilians.

President Aliyev has now made abundantly clear that he will stop at nothing to try to eradicate Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. For months, he has imposed a blockade on the Lachin Corridor, denying residents of Nagorno-Karabakh food, medicine, and other essential goods, while threatening the very existence of Armenia and Armenians with incendiary rhetoric. Over the past two weeks, I have sounded the alarm -- addressing the full Senate, and convening a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to impress upon the U.S. government and the world the urgency of this crisis.

For too long, we have pandered to Aliyev. For too long, we have not taken a strong enough stance to demand the rights, security, and freedoms of the Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh. I will be introducing legislation in the coming days to hold Aliyev's regime accountable for their aggression and to support Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

We cannot stand by as Aliyev conducts his campaign of ethnic cleansing even as we, as a nation, have committed to "never again' let dictators pursue campaigns of genocide. We must provide immediate support to Nagorno-Karabakh and work with international partners to bring pressure on Aliyev to stop his ruthless campaign."

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