ANCA: U.S. policy should Aalign with Artsakh`s survival and Armenia`s  security

ArmInfo.U.S. policy toward the Caucasus should strengthen the security of Armenia and Artsakh against threats from Azerbaijan and Turkey, according to testimony  submitted by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) for a  November 16th Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the  region.  

The ANCA testimony, presented by Government Affairs Director  Tereza Yerimyan, underscored that:  "U.S. policy toward Armenia must  align with the security and viability of Armenia and Artsakh in the  face of existential regional threats, while U.S. policy on Azerbaijan  should prioritize accountability for its past and ongoing crimes.   Our current, deeply flawed U.S. policy in the Caucasus offers  lectures on democracy to democratic Armenia, ships U.S. tax-payer  funded military aid to dictatorial Azerbaijan, and provides no  assistance at all to at-risk Artsakh. That has to change." The full  text of the ANCA's testimony, which is provided below and also  online, addresses the following ANCA policy priorities:  -- Full  enforcement of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan.   -- No less than $50 million in direct U.S. humanitarian aid to   Artsakh.  -- Official inquiries into arms export violations related  to Turkish drones.  -- Strict scrutiny of ambassadorial nominations  to Armenia and Azerbaijan.  -- U.S. pressure on Turkey to stop  obstructing justice for the Armenian Genocide.  -- Investigation into  Azerbaijani war crimes, including its use of prohibited munitions,  recruitment of foreign mercenaries, cultural and religious  desecration, and the illegal detention, abuse, and murder of Armenian  prisoners of war.  "The oil-rich Aliyev regime must be held  accountable, through the immediate cessation of U.S. military aid and  the investigation of its invasions, atrocities, and war crimes,"  states Yerimyan.  "These actions must be matched with a robust aid  package to meet pressing humanitarian and developmental needs in  Artsakh. In terms of U.S.-Armenia bilateral ties, we seek a paradigm  shift in relations that prioritizes the security and viability of  Armenia and Artsakh in the face of existential regional threats." 

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing will take place on  Wednesday, November 16th, at 10:00am EST and will be streamed live.   Witnesses offering testimony include Karen Donfried, Assistant  Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, and Philip  Reeker, U.S. State Department Senior Advisor for Caucasus  Negotiations.  The ANCA has shared a series of in-depth questions  with Senate Foreign Relations Committee members, calling for  clarification on the Biden Administration's policies on a range of  Armenian American concerns.