Representatives Anna Eshoo and Chris Smith introduce a bipartisan resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh

WASHINGTON – Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) have introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and calling on the Biden administration to take immediate action to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its genocidal aggression, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported.

“The Azerbaijani attack on Nagorno-Karabakh last year resulted in the destruction of the ethnic Armenian community that has called this region home for centuries. Azerbaijan’s actions meet every definition of ethnic cleansing and must be condemned as such,” said Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. “Our resolution clearly lays out the atrocities committed against the Armenian people and outlines the critical steps the United States must take to achieve justice and accountability for these crimes.”

“The horrific atrocities and ethnic cleansing committed by Azerbaijan against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh do not take away Armenians’ right to live in peace and freedom in their ancient homeland and to practice their own faith, follow their own customs, and speak their own language,” said Rep. Chris Smith, who chaired two congressional hearings on the plight of Armenians last year. “Our bipartisan legislation calls on the Biden administration to vigorously support Armenian rights against the ongoing crimes of the Azerbaijani government under its ruthless dictator Ilham Aliyev.”

The resolution recognizes Azerbaijan’s forced relocation of over 100,000 Armenians from Artsakh as an act of ethnic cleansing and calls on the government to issue a public statement to that effect. In addition, the resolution calls on the United States to promote a just and lasting peace in the South Caucasus that ensures the release of all illegally detained Armenian prisoners of war and civilians – including Artsakh’s political leaders – and guarantees the right of Armenians to return to their homeland with guarantees for their safety.

“Facing no material cost or consequence for its ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, Azerbaijan continues to threaten new violence to extract further unilateral concessions from Armenia,” noted ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “A just and lasting peace must begin with accountability. We commend Reps. Eshoo and Smith for their courageous leadership in condemning Azerbaijan’s genocidal aggression, calling on the Biden administration to take immediate action to release Armenian prisoners and hostages, and calling for the right of Armenians in Artsakh to return safely to their homeland under international protection.”

The ANCA has launched a nationwide action alert (anca.org/Artsakh) calling on Armenian Americans and their supporters to contact their U.S. representative to support the Eshoo-Smith resolution.

Since the ethnic cleansing of the entire indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh last year, Azerbaijan has not paid any significant costs for its genocidal aggression – despite the US State Department’s assurance that the US “will not tolerate any action to ethnically cleanse the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.” And despite Deputy Secretary of State James O’Brien’s pledge that there would be “no business as usual” with Azerbaijan following the military assault on Artsakh, the United States has resumed high-level talks with Baku without any accountability.

The Eshoo-Smith resolution calls for immediate action to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. It calls on the Biden administration to impose targeted sanctions on Azerbaijani government officials who have engaged in human rights abuses and to enforce legal prohibitions on U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan under Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act.

The text of the resolution can be found here.

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