WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomes the “hold” placed by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) on President Trump’s controversial nomination of Alexander Alden to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan — a move that allows the new Senate to carefully vet him after the new Congress is sworn in this coming January.
“The ANCA welcomes the hold by Senator Thom Tillis on the confirmation of Alexander Alden to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan. This is far too consequential a nomination to be rubber-stamped during a lame-duck session, all the more so given the Trump Administration’s reckless rush to normalize Azerbaijan’s genocide of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh),” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Suren Hamparian.
Sen. Tillis announced his plans to Semafor White House reporter Eleanor Mueller, who first reported on the Alden nomination on Nov. 10. “I’m not going to let him out. Done,” Tillis told Mueller. “He can get a hearing, I’m just not going to let him go through en bloc. Which means it’s not going to happen in this Congress.” Mueller asked whether the nomination would also stall in the next Congress, once Democrats take control of the Senate. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re probably right,” Tillis replied. Sen. Tillis has been outspoken in condemning Azerbaijan’s human rights abuses, including the forced depopulation of Artsakh and the illegal imprisonment of Armenian hostages.
Following the money: A financial interest in conflict
“What we’re seeing in the Alexander Alden nomination is both a conflict of interest and a financial interest in conflict,” said Hamparian.
Alden has served as a senior counselor for Palantir since 2021, according to his financial disclosure with the Office of Government Ethics. The disclosure was first reported by NOTUS in June and later carried by the Washington Sun. In that filing, he reported $5 million to $25 million in Palantir common stock, plus $1 million to $5 million in unvested shares. Semafor reports that he currently advises Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a special government employee, a status that allows him to keep his Palantir position.
Palantir’s portfolio includes Maven Smart Systems, an AI military targeting platform used by the U.S. military. Earlier this year, Azerbaijan’s state media reported that senior Azerbaijani officials met with Palantir representatives in the United Kingdom to discuss potential government contracts.
Alden has pledged to resign from Palantir and to divest his stock within 90 days of confirmation. That pledge does not resolve the conflict. Under its terms, he could hold his Palantir shares into his first three months as ambassador, while the company pursues contracts with the Azerbaijani government. He currently advises the Secretary of State while still on Palantir’s payroll, even as Baku courts the company.
“Alden cannot both represent the U.S. in Azerbaijan and also stand to profit from U.S. policy toward its authoritarian regime,” said Hamparian.
Standing with Artsakh’s hostages
In April 2024, Sen. Tillis joined Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Gary Peters (D-MI) in pressing then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken to make Baku’s release of Armenian hostages a condition of any Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal. “Requiring the release of political prisoners and prisoners of war is a critical step to achieving a sustainable peace,” the Senators wrote.
The senators also called on the State Department to label Azerbaijan’s September 2023 assault on Artsakh as ethnic cleansing, to advocate for Armenians’ right to return home under international guarantees, and to sanction the Azerbaijani officials responsible.
“Forcefully removing and detaining the political leadership of an ethnic group is a well-known tactic of those committing ethnic cleansing,” the letter states.
Pressing senators for accountability
In outreach led by ANCA Policy Director Alex Galitsky, the ANCA has urged Senate Foreign Relations Committee offices to press Alden on whether he will work for the release of Armenian hostages held in Baku. In February, Azerbaijan sentenced 16 Armenian detainees to terms ranging from 15 years to life following sham trials. Aliyev has since publicly refused clemency. The ANCA called on senators to seek Alden’s commitment to restore International Committee of the Red Cross access to the detainees.
The ANCA also urged senators to ask whether Alden will defend Armenian Christian heritage in Artsakh, where Azerbaijan destroyed two churches this spring. Senators should also seek his commitment to support the right of return for Artsakh’s forcibly displaced Armenians. Further questions cover whether he will:
- Press for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from close to 100 square miles of sovereign Armenian territory;
- Call on Baku to drop its demand that Armenia change its constitution as a precondition for peace;
- Enforce Section 907 restrictions on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan;
- Support Global Magnitsky sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for war crimes; and
- Recognize the Armenian Genocide and seek justice for this still unpunished crime.
“Bottom line: America needs an ambassador to Azerbaijan who holds Ilham Aliyev to account — not one who represents this dictator’s interests in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Senate must confirm all the facts before it even considers confirming this nominee,” said Hamparian.
