Markey, Whitehouse, and Pallone lead Congressional calls at COP29 for  return of Armenians to Artsakh, Azerbaijan`s release of Armenian  hostages 

ArmInfo. Amid Aliyev-government repression and intimidation during the COP29  climate conference in Baku - with their personal safety on the line -  Senators Ed Markey (D-MA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and  Congressional Armenian Caucus founding Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ)  championed the right of return of Artsakh's ethnically cleansed  Armenian population, and advocated for the Azerbaijan's immediate  release of Armenian hostages, reported the Armenian National  Committee of America (ANCA).

"We join with Armenians across our homeland and diaspora in thanking  Senators Markey and Whitehouse, and of course, Armenian Caucus  founding co-chair Frank Pallone for demanding the freedom of Armenian  hostages and the return of Artsakh's Armenians," stated ANCA  Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  "Baku's attempt to hijack COP29  to greenwash its crimes have backfired - succeeding only in shining a  global spotlight on the Aliyev regime's corruption and pollution,  aggression and repression."

During press conferences in Baku and Washington DC, Senators  Whitehouse, Markey, and Rep. Pallone pressed against Azerbaijani  government and pro-Aliyev media efforts to greenwash the genocide of  Artsakh's 120,000 indigenous Armenian population and ongoing illegal  imprisonment of 23 Armenian hostages and hundreds of Azerbaijani  political prisoners.

During a November 16th COP29 press conference in Baku, when  confronted by an Azerbaijani TV reporter about why the U.S. had not  sanctioned Armenia, Senator Whitehouse replied, "Senator Markey and I  support Armenia, both of us. We are very regretful that the  dislocation of so many Armenians has taken place. To put it mildly,  I'm far from convinced that Armenians are to blame for that. And I  don't want to dwell in the home of my hosts on human rights issues,  but if that were to be the topic, I would not be very complimentary."

Senator Markey was direct in his response: "We believe that the  political prisoners should be released.  We believe there should be a  right of return of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh. And we believe that  there should be a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia."

Sen. Markey: "We could not ignore the climate of fear and repression  just outside the [COP29] conference walls."

Upon their return from Baku on Monday, at a Capitol Hill press  conference, Senator Markey and Rep.  Pallone detailed Azerbaijan's  worsening human rights violations broadly and their fear for their  personal safety during the COP29 climate summit.

"COP29 in Azerbaijan offered a unique opportunity to promote clean  energy and regional cooperation but it is critical for the United  States to address the significant challenges posed by ongoing human  rights violations and unresolved territorial conflicts in  Azerbaijan," stated Sen. Markey. "We must draw attention to  Azerbaijan's unacceptable human rights record and promote positive  change. We cannot be silent. We cannot ignore the hostile climate in  which the conference is right now still taking place."  

In a meeting with Aliyev's presidential advisor Hikmet Hajiyev, Sen.  Markey was blunt: "The Azerbaijani government must immediately and  unconditionally release all Armenian and Azeri political prisoners,  guarantee the right of return for ethnic Armenian civilians to  Nagorno Karabakh, and negotiate in good faith a peace agreement with  Armenia that protects regional peace and internationally agreed-upon  borders."

Rep. Pallone: "I thought there was going to be an assault on me [:]  that this is orchestrated by the [Aliyev] government."

During the Washington, DC press conference, Rep. Pallone described  the repeated and "synchronized" efforts by pro-Aliyev "protesters or  thugs" at COP29 to assault the thirty-year Congressional Armenian  Caucus founding co-chair for his outspoken support for Artsakh  self-determination and Armenia security during.  "If it wasn't for  the fact that US Embassy-hired [bodyguards] protected me, I would  have been in the hospital. And, it was serious. I just want to be  honest. It was very serious."  Sen.  Markey concurred, noting, "Like  Frank [Pallone], I felt I had to have a bodyguard with me at all  times.  Even in the lobby of the hotel, even going up to my room."

Rep. Pallone described his pre-COP29 hopes that the Azerbaijani  government would use the opportunity to release political prisoners.   Instead, "a couple of days before the conference, President Aliyev  started attacking the French, started attacking the Dutch to the  point where they didn't even come to the conference, and started  cranking down even more, if that's possible, on human rights and  jailing more prisoners," explained Rep. Pallone, who called  Azerbaijan's actions, "incredibly stupid."

Rep. Pallone, who was banned by Azerbaijani authorities from the  Congressional delegation meeting with President Aliyev, confirmed  that his Republican and Democrat colleagues told the petrostate  dictator, "You cannot be aggressive against Armenia. You have to come  to a peace agreement. 

And it would involve releasing the prisoners," and, predictably,  President Aliyev "blamed Armenia for the war, he blamed Armenia for  everything. [:] this was not a situation where there was any reason  to believe that President Aliyev is moving towards some kind of  peaceful settlement, releasing the prisoners, anything of that  nature."

In a subsequent press statement, Rep. Pallone remarked, "Efforts to  stifle myself and Senator Markey only strengthen my resolve to fight  for accountability, reform, and the dignity of those who have  suffered under Azerbaijan's oppressive regime. I will continue to  fight for the release of the Armenian prisoners being held in Baku,  the protection of Armenian territorial sovereignty and removal of  Azerbaijani troops from Armenian land, and for a fair and lasting  peace deal that finally brings calm to the region."

In the month leading up to the COP29 climate conference,  Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) led  an ANCA-backed bicameral letter, cosigned by sixty Senate and House  Members, calling for U.S. leadership to hold Azerbaijan accountable  for committing war crimes, taking hostages, and illegally occupying  Armenian territory. In the October 3rd letter to Secretary of State  Antony Blinken, U.S. Senators and Representatives stated, "As COP29  approaches, we request that the State Department press Azerbaijani  President Ilham Aliyev and the Government of Azerbaijan to take  tangible measures that support regional peace, uphold human rights  protections, and adhere to international laws and norms."  They  stressed that "Despite overwhelming evidence and international  condemnation, Azerbaijan has not faced meaningful consequences for  the ethnic cleansing and other actions."

The lawmakers went on to urge the State Department to "press for the  immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners,  hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more  conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29."  

President Aliyev immediately rebuked the Pallone-Markey letter,  rejecting what he called a "disgusting" letter from the U.S.  lawmakers.

The United Nations Conference of the Parties (COP) is the premier  global climate summit organized under the United Nations Framework  Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

The COP29 summit has been mired in controversy since Azerbaijan was  announced as host at last year's COP28 summit hosted in the UAE -  making Azerbaijan the second petro-dictatorship with an egregious  human rights record to host the conference in a row. Azerbaijan is  one of the most fossil fuel- dependent economies in the world, with  oil and gas comprising up to 90 percent of its exports and providing  60 percent of the government's budget.

Baku was only granted the privilege of hosting COP29 after Armenia  dropped its veto in exchange for the release of 32 Armenian POWs -  one of many instances of Azerbaijan resorting to hostage diplomacy to  impose demands on Armenia. To date, Azerbaijan continues to  arbitrarily detain at least two dozen known Armenian prisoners of war  and political prisoners - with many still unaccounted for, given  Azerbaijan's refusal to acknowledge or confirm their status.  International human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and  Amnesty International, have noted that these POWs have been subject  to abuse and torture in detention - in brazen violation of  international law.