ArmInfo. The Armenian Protection Act, a bill aimed at stopping U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, has been introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives, the Armenian Assembly of America reports.
"The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) welcomed the
introduction of bipartisan legislation spearheaded by Rep. Mike
Lawler (R-NY), along with Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Rep. Gus
Bilirakis (R-FL), and Rep. Gabe Amo (D-RI), for the Armenian
Protection Act, which repeals the waiver authority to Section 907 of
the FREEDOM Support Act.
Section 907 states that U.S. funds "may not be provided to the
Government of Azerbaijan 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." In the aftermath of
September 11, a conditional waiver was added to exempt Azerbaijan
from Section 907 if certain criteria were met and certified by the
Administration. The introduction of this Act comes as the Senate
adopted by voice vote S.3000, also known as the Armenian Protection
Act, led by Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) and Senator Marco Rubio
(R-FL). Senator Peters, who traveled to Armenia in September of 2023,
emphasized his support for the Armenian people during the Assembly's
Fall 2023 Advocacy Summit, where he stated that he would encourage
more of his colleagues in the Senate "to support the Armenian people"
and for "repercussions" to take place against Azerbaijan's Aliyev
regime.
"We applaud Rep. Lawler, along with his colleagues Reps. Pallone,
Bilirakis, and Amo for this bipartisan measure," said Assembly
Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. "Azerbaijan should
be sanctioned, not rewarded, for its genocidal policies against the
Armenian people," Khaloyan added," the source notes.
"Aliyev broke international law when he ordered his deadly assault of
Artsakh last year. He still has not faced any meaningful consequences
for his genocidal campaign that has displaced 120,000 Armenians from
their historic homeland even though it was clear an attack was
imminent," Rep. Frank Pallone wrote on X.
"It's past time for the U.S. take action to hold Aliyev accountable.
That's why I'm the leading Democrat on the Armenian Protection Act,
which will halt all further U.S. security assistance to Azerbaijan
and require proof that they can be a trustworthy party in peace
negotiations," the Congressman added.
