Frank Pallone’s disgraceful exit from Baku Pro-Armenian congressman turned out to be a coward

Frank Pallone, a US Congressman and member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, left Baku in disgrace during COP29. Or rather, he shamefully fled, overcome by cowardice and the fear of facing the potential embarrassment of being held accountable by Azerbaijani journalists. He likely feared the questions they would ask—sharp and pointed, not direct but incisive. This became evident during his brief, several-hour stay in Baku.

Pallone’s behaviour, however, should not be surprising. In Washington, he is free to speak in an anti-Azerbaijani tone without any moral or ethical consequences. But in Baku, at a formal event, he would have been forced to defend his words. He would have had to answer for the reckless rhetoric he regularly uses in the US. Unfortunately, for biased figures like Pallone, spreading lies and slander under the guise of "freedom of speech" has become a well-accepted practice.

And yet, Pallone’s trip to Baku—where he represented the Democratic Party of the United States (elected from New Jersey)—seemed so promising at first. On November 15, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee’s website, where Pallone serves as a member, published an announcement under the striking headline: Pallone Joins House Congressional Delegation in Attending COP29 Climate Conference.  The site also cited the congressman’s recent posts on platform X, in which he expressed his unprecedented eagerness to attend COP29, emphasizing, “The United States must remain a leader in the global fight to combat the worsening climate crisis. Now more than ever, I look forward to attending the COP29 climate conference to demonstrate that America is still in this fight.”

Those who initially read Pallone’s statements might have been inclined to commend him, at least at first glance. However, his subsequent posts on platform X revealed a clear intention to politicize his visit to Baku, using the opportunity to criticize Donald Trump, who had recently won the U.S. presidential election. Just days before his trip, Pallone expressed outrage over Trump’s plan to once again withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement, thereby abandoning Washington’s role as a global leader in climate action. Pallone vowed to attend COP29 to send a message: the US will not abandon its commitments to combat the worsening climate crisis.

These posts, summarized here, left little doubt among analysts about one of Pallone’s true objectives for the trip: to use the COP29 platform to deliver a high-profile denunciation of Trump’s policies. Another suspected goal, as some experts suggested, was to provoke anti-Azerbaijani demonstrations in Baku. On that front, however, his plans fell flat.

On November 16, two press conferences were held as part of COP29 in Baku, featuring members of the US House of Representatives and Senate delegations. Yet, Pallone was conspicuously absent—an undeniable display of cowardice. He likely understood all too well that Azerbaijani journalists would pose what he considered uncomfortable questions, much like the ones he faced upon arrival at the airport. There, he avoided interacting with the Azerbaijani press altogether—quite ironic for someone so fond of invoking freedom of speech in his rhetoric.

Moreover, Pallone’s cowardice extended to his itinerary. Instead of heading to his hotel as planned, he made a detour straight from the airport to the Baku Olympic Stadium. Why? A simple reason: journalists had already gathered at the hotel. This detour raises the question: Did this supposedly seasoned and prominent politician, often lauded by some of Azerbaijan’s neighbours whose interests he loyally supports, not anticipate that the press would expect him to answer pressing questions at COP29?

Yet again, Pallone sought a way to retreat. His behaviour brought to mind a character from the film Mimino who fled to a restroom to avoid uncomfortable questions. Our congressman, seemingly bold on home turf, declined to join his US colleagues—members of the House of Representatives and Senate—at their briefing, preferring to avoid the spotlight altogether.

However, there is no branch of the US Congress in Baku, and retreating to the American Embassy would have been even more humiliating. After all, doing so would require Pallone to admit that he was unwilling to publicly stand by the anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric he had so confidently proclaimed in Washington. His only remaining option was to head to his hotel, which he eventually did—only to find himself greeted by representatives of NGOs and members of Azerbaijan’s civil society. They called on the congressman to apologize to the Azerbaijani people for the fundamentally false resolutions he and his pro-Armenian allies had repeatedly pushed through Congress.

Faced with this confrontation, Pallone resorted to using his security personnel, who, according to activists, employed physical force against them, resulting in various injuries to the peaceful demonstrators.

Barely making it to his hotel—with assistance from local law enforcement—Pallone effectively barricaded himself inside, once again avoiding any interaction with journalists. This blatant display of cowardice further underscored his unwillingness to face the scrutiny he would inevitably encounter.

In a formal statement to Azerbaijani law enforcement, representatives of the country’s civil society condemned the rough treatment and violence they endured at the behest of Pallone. Their statement also exposed the political underpinnings of the congressman’s actions, built on a foundation of slander against Azerbaijan. They highlighted his repeated disregard for the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, all in service of advancing the interests of the Armenian lobby in the United States.

Pallone’s evident fear and cowardice, which prevented him from engaging openly with Azerbaijani journalists, culminated in his discreet departure from the hotel to the airport, where he left Baku on a chartered flight. However, there is little doubt that upon his return to the US, Pallone and his allies will attempt to twist the narrative. This is already apparent, for instance, in a tweet by Alex Galitsky, the Communications Director for the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), who claimed that “Frank Pallone in Baku — harassed by Azeri propagandists over his advocacy for Artsakh’s Armenians.”

Pallone’s disgrace, however, is likely to become a viral example of how a politician, who has spent his entire career spreading falsehoods and promoting biased anti-Azerbaijani resolutions, turned out to be a coward. He failed to stand by his words when confronted by peaceful journalists and civil society representatives, exposing the weakness behind his inflammatory rhetoric.