Elizabeth Chouldjian: The bill passed by the US Senate is a clear message to Baku and the Biden administration

The only way to stop Baku’s genocidal policy is to deprive it of military aid, ANCA Communications Director Elizabeth Chouldjian told Alpha News.

“The Armenian Protection Act of 2023, passed by the US Senate, is a clear message to Baku and the Biden administration. The Senate believes that the only way to stop Baku’s genocidal policy is to deprive it of military aid. This should not be the last, but the first sanction that the American government can apply against Baku’s ongoing aggressive policy. Although all this should have happened when Azerbaijan had blockaded Artsakh for ten months, subjecting people to starvation,” Chouldjian said.

She emphasized that by bypassing the law on the deprivation of military aid, the American government became an accomplice in Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy.

“President Biden promised to respect Section 907, not to bypass the law, and to deprive Azerbaijan of military assistance. However, by continuing military support, the American government became complicit in Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy. The Senate said ‘no’ to the Biden administration and stressed that American military aid to Azerbaijan must end as soon as possible. This was the Senate’s first step, but it will fight to achieve other sanctions.

Today, the Armenian Committee of America is doing everything to expand humanitarian assistance to the Armenians of Artsakh until they return safely to their homeland. It is important to reduce military aid to Azerbaijan, but more needs to be done as the Aliyev government continues its crimes by not releasing Armenian prisoners of war. Sanctions are appropriate, and the cut of military aid must be the first step so that we can send a clear signal to the American government that no country can pursue such genocidal policy and get away with it,” Chouldjian concluded.