Congress increases pressure on Trump administration to curb Turkey, contain Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict – The National
The Trump administration is facing mounting pressure from US legislators to exert its influence to stop a resurgence of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia, The National reports.
House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff and co-chairs of the House of Representatives’ Armenia Caucus introduced a resolution on October 1 “condemning Azerbaijan’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabkah and denouncing Turkish interference in the conflict”.
The resolution, sponsored by 50 Democrats and six Republicans, “supports an immediate return to the ceasefire agreement along the line of contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan”.
Mr Schiff suggested recognising Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, as an independent state.
“The United States should make clear to Azerbaijan and Turkey that if they persist in this violence instead of embracing a peaceful settlement of the conflict, we are prepared to recognise the Republic of Artsakh as an independent nation and to work with the international community to achieve the same,” Mr Schiff said on Friday.
Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on a ceasefire, which came into effect on Saturday, but both immediately claimed it had been breached, the source says.
The October 1 bill affirmed support for the Minsk Group’s efforts “to secure an agreement from Azerbaijan to cease offensive military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, and to accept independent third-party monitoring along the line of contact”.
The legislation also highlights Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh and “the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s claim that Turkey is operating F-16 fighter jets in the region”.
A group of 12 Senate Democrats, led by minority leader Chuck Schumer and top foreign relations committee member Bob Menendez, went even further in a letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this month.
Their letter calls on the State Department to immediately suspend all US security assistance to Azerbaijan and urges President Donald Trump to “convince Turkey to immediately disengage from the conflict”.
“The US must immediately suspend all security assistance to Azerbaijan,” the senators wrote.
In 2019, the US gave $43 million in security aid to Baku.
The letter condemned Turkey’s role in the conflict and criticised Mr Trump's faith in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"From Libya to Syria and in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey has made its intentions clear: it does not seek to be a constructive player on the world stage,” it said.
At the weekend, at least three Democratic Congressmen took part in pro-Armenian protests across the US.
The Trump administration has been largely silent over the conflict and there is no sign that the current pressure will change its stance.
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