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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has submitted testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee supporting Senator Marco Rubio’s nomination as U.S. Secretary of State. Authored by ANCA Policy Director Alexander Galitsky, the testimony underscores the urgency of addressing critical human rights issues, including Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, the enforcement of sanctions against Azerbaijani war criminals, the right of Artsakh Armenians to return to their homeland, and the protection of vulnerable minority communities in Syria.

In its testimony, ANCA stressed that Senator Rubio’s confirmation as Secretary of State presents a pivotal opportunity for the United States to align its foreign policy with justice and accountability. “While the previous Trump-Pence and current Biden-Harris administrations failed to prevent Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, the incoming Trump-Vance Administration has an unprecedented opportunity to reverse it—by promoting a just, durable, and dignified peace in the region grounded in accountability for war crimes and aligned with the right of Artsakh’s Armenians to a collective and protected return to their homeland,” Galitsky stated.

Holding Azerbaijan Accountable for Artsakh Genocide

The ANCA testimony calls for the United States to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s 150,000 Armenian Christian population. Turkey and Azerbaijan’s 2020 war against Armenia and Artsakh and the subsequent Aliyev regime blockade and military assault, which forced the region’s indigenous population to flee in 2023, have gone unpunished, allowing Azerbaijan to continue its aggression. “Like the Armenian Genocide over a century ago – and the international community’s refusal to hold Turkey accountable – the failure to sanction Azerbaijan for the Artsakh genocide has rewarded the Aliyev regime, out of the same misguided belief that appeasing authoritarian dictators at the expense of human rights is in Washington’s interests,” wrote Galitsky.  The ANCA testimony called on the Trump Administration to enforce Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan

Imposing Sanctions on Azerbaijani Officials Responsible for War Crimes

The ANCA testimony highlights the necessity of imposing Global Magnitsky sanctions on Azerbaijani officials responsible for war crimes. This includes those involved in the torture and extrajudicial killing of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives, as well as the destruction of Armenian cultural heritage sites. “The ANCA urges the Administration to prioritize securing the release of all unjustly detained Armenians in any future engagements with the government of Azerbaijan,” stated Galitsky, who noted that illegally-detained Artsakh leaders and civilian captives will be subject to sham trials beginning later this week.

Guaranteeing the Right of Return for Artsakh’s Armenians

Securing the right of Artsakh’s Armenians to return to their ancestral homeland under international protections is “a central pillar of any peace process in the region,” noted the ANCA testimony. Failure not only “risks legitimizing Azerbaijan’s act of ethnic cleansing, but creates a long-term refugee and statelessness crisis for the 150,000 Nagorno-Karabakh residents displaced and living in Armenia who are in dire need of humanitarian aid and currently face severe challenges when it comes to housing, employment, social services, healthcare, and other basic needs,” stated Galitsky.

Safeguarding the Rights of Vulnerable Minority Communities in Syria

Beyond the South Caucasus, the ANCA testimony urged the U.S. safeguard the rights of vulnerable minority communities in Syria, including Armenians, Alawites, Druze, Yezidis, Kurds, and historic Christian communities (Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, and Melkite peoples) among others. The includes “demanding the removal of Turkish forces occupying Northern Syria, and holding Turkey accountable for financing and harboring designated terrorist organizations that pose a threat to the region’s significant Kurdish population,” stated Galitsky.

The ANCA testimony praised Senator Rubio for his vocal calls to “reassess U.S.-Azerbaijan relations in light of its blockade and subsequent ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s entire Armenian population in 2023.” Galitsky highlighted the Senator’s “crucial leadership on S.3000 – the Armenian Protection Act – to prohibit the president from waiving statutory restrictions on military assistance to Azerbaijan pursuant to Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act; support for bipartisan and bicameral efforts to assess the applicability of Global Magnitsky Act Sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for grave human rights abuses; and co-sponsorship of S.Res.540 – to investigate Azerbaijan’s human rights practices pursuant to Section 502B(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act.”

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will convene Senator Rubio’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday, January 15. The ANCA is urging committee members to endorse his nomination while emphasizing the importance of the outlined policy priorities.

The full text of the ANCA testimony is available here.