U.S. House lawmakers press for major increase in aid to Artsakh refugees, total ban on aid to Azerbaijan

ANCA launches nationwide campaign in support of key amendments holding Azerbaijan accountable for Artsakh genocide

The ANCA has launched a nationwide campaign in support of four amendments to the FY25 U.S. House foreign aid bill (H.R.8771), which would expand aid for Artsakh refugees, block aid to Azerbaijan and support stronger U.S.-Cyprus military ties.

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is calling for U.S. House passage of three amendments to the Fiscal Year 2025 foreign aid bill (H.R.8771), which would expand U.S. aid to Artsakh refugees forced from their homes during the 2023 Artsakh genocide and block military assistance to the Azerbaijani perpetrators of that crime.

The ANCA is leading a nationwide grassroots effort – anca.org/FY25aid – to encourage representatives to cosponsor each of the amendments, which are set to be considered by the House Rules Committee as early as next week. The full U.S. House will have the opportunity to vote on amendments that are ruled in order, either separately or as groups of “en bloc” amendments. Amendments with strong bipartisan support are the most likely to be ruled in order.

“President Biden – having armed and abetted Azerbaijan’s genocide of Artsakh – has an opportunity this week to seek a measure of redemption for his shameful complicity in this crime, starting with vigorous public support for each of these three amendments,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “He can – at long last – stop appeasing Azerbaijan and start working with legislators to hold this dictatorship accountable.”

Amendment 146, introduced by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), calls for $100 million in U.S. funding for the Republic of Armenia under the Assistance to Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia (AEECA) account to support victims from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), forced to flee their ancestral homeland amid Azerbaijan’s full-scale attack in 2023.

Amendment 51, introduced by Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), would prohibit funds in the bill from being used to support Azerbaijani security, development or settlement in territories captured by force, including Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).

Amendment 54, introduced by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) with the support of Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Frank Pallone and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), prohibits funding to Azerbaijan in Fiscal Year 2025 until the president determines, and so reports to the Congress, that the government of Azerbaijan is taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). This amendment includes no waiver authority since the administration is currently exercising waiver authority to get around Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which prohibits such assistance.

The ANCA is also supporting bipartisan Amendment 48, led by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), Gus Bilirakis and Veronica Escobar (D-TX), which would streamline the review process for the sale of U.S. defense articles to Cyprus.

ANCA
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

2 Comments

  1. After over 100 years of history of being displaced as refugees, here we are being displaced as refugees again and having to again beg for aid. How disgraceful, pathetic and shameful. Why can’t we learn from our history? What is wrong with us?

  2. Bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress for Israel alway exceeds more than 400 members, very often more than 450 members and quite often more than 500, out of a total of 535 members of Congress (100 of whom serve in the U.S. Senate and 435 of whom serve in the U.S. House of Representatives). And in most of the U.S. states, particularly in the interior, Jewish people and thus voters make up very small minorities, often less than 1% of the population and voters. And U.S. support for Israel needs no further explanation.

    Yes, the large majority of the U.S. states recognized the Armenian Genocide, until the U.S. Congress did so as well in 2021. However, until relations between the U.S./Israel and Turkey under the Islamist dictator Erdogan, began to deteriorate when he verbally attacked Israel and clashed with U.S./Israeli interests, the powerful Jewish lobby did prevent the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the U.S. Congress, when relations between U.S./Israel and Turkey were good. Only after relations became hostile and the Jewish lobby lifted its objections, did the U.S. Congress finally recognize the Armenian Genocide under President Biden. Even the recognition of a peoples’ tragedy like the Armenian Genocide, was subject to cold, cynical Realpolitik.

    However, it has stopped at that, for Armenia and Armenians. Azerbaijan’s war against Artsakh, the cruel starvation blockade against Artsakh, which was the prelude of the ethnic cleansing of all Armenians from Artsakh and the destruction of Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s shelling and occupation of Armenia’s territory, Armenia’s precarious situation and the existential threat it faces from its two Turkic archenemies, have not generated any strong and meaningful reactions from the United States, let alone the threat of sanctions. Again vested interest have come to play, such as Turkey being a member of NATO and Azerbaijan being a transit country for oil and gas from Central Asia (and while it also transits sanctioned oil and gas from Russia, among other things!).

    Cold, cruel Machiavellian politics are at play, which tramples on the plight of Armenians and Armenia, and which are the biggest challenge for Armenian lobbies and organizations.

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