How to sell international law for sack of money? US congressmen dance to the Armenian duduk

Some 25 U.S. Congressional Armenian Caucus members sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. The letter calls for the "release of Armenian prisoners illegally held in Azerbaijan and strengthen U.S. policy safeguarding Armenia’s sovereignty and security." It's a crisis of genre and yet another manifestation of the Armenian lobby's influence in the U.S., no other way to describe it.

The initiators were the chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus Frank Pallone, David Valadao, Brad Sherman, and Gus Bilirakis.

In earlier times, former Democratic Senator from New Jersey Robert Menendez, who had long been closely associated with the U.S. Armenian lobby and was convicted of corruption and acting as a foreign agent, would also have signed this letter.

It's strange that among those who signed this letter, there is no former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. In September 2022, she made a trip to Armenia, which cost Armenian taxpayers 120 million dollars, of which 50 million was a one-time donation to the Democratic Party.

Now, for some reason, she has decided to remain silent. Doesn’t this suggest that she and the Armenian side simply couldn't agree on the price? The question remains open.

The "Hay Dat" committee notes that this letter was initiated amid reports about an agreement on a draft peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, after which the process stalled supposedly due to Azerbaijan's new preconditions, including amendments to Armenia's Constitution and the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group.

As we can see, this is also just a basic and simplistic lie. Official Baku, even during the period when 20% of Azerbaijan's territory was under occupation, called on official Yerevan to resolve the conflict peacefully, based on international law and respect for the principle of territorial integrity of states.

What did we hear in response? The statement by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the occupied city of Khankendi, claiming that "Karabakh is Armenia, and period." He also boastfully declared that Armenia is the "guarantor of the security of Artsakh." Similar statements were made by other representatives of official Yerevan.

Threats were also made against the country by those very representatives of the Karabakh junta, who are now meticulously detailing in a Baku court who and to what extent is involved in crimes against Azerbaijan.

Davit Ishkhanyan, the "chairman of the parliament" and holder of other positions within the Karabakh junta, confessed that since the summer of 1992, he had been the "commander of a battalion" and participated in the war against Azerbaijan in Aghdara, Khojavand, Kalbajar, and Aghdam.

And this is the man the members of the U.S. Congressional Armenian Caucus refer to as an “illegally detained Armenian prisoner” in Azerbaijan?! Ishkhanyan even revealed that the well-known terrorist Monte Melkonian fought on Armenia’s side. Yet the United States claims to be fighting global terrorism. So how does the letter from 25 congressmen align with official U.S. policy?

It’s worth recalling that the United States has never imposed sanctions on Armenia for its decades-long occupation of 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory.

What’s more, in the very year Shusha was occupied and Armenian terrorists committed genocide in Khojaly, the U.S. Congress passed the infamous Section 907 amendment. Back then, just as now, the notorious Armenian lobby was at work—consistently placing its own interests above America’s national interests. Azerbaijan saw it all but responded with the dignity and honour that befit our nation.

Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, reminded foreign journalists who recently visited the country that Azerbaijan allowed U.S. military aircraft to use its airspace for operations in Afghanistan after 9/11 and was the last country to officially withdraw from Afghanistan after more than two decades—remaining at Kabul airport to protect civilians even after American forces had pulled out.

American congressmen ought to remember this. Yet once again, we see many of them playing to the tune of the Armenian duduk—clearly not without personal gain. They persist in trying to "heroise" yesterday’s separatists, who are now testifying in Baku courts that Armenia has consistently provided political, financial, and military support to the Karabakh junta. Official Yerevan continued doing so even after Nikol Pashinyan signed the Trilateral Statement on the cessation of hostilities in the early hours of November 10, 2020.

It is for this reason that Azerbaijan was compelled to carry out a one-day anti-terrorism operation in the Karabakh economic region of the country—fully restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while also apprehending and bringing to Baku the former leaders of the Karabakh junta, who had made every effort to flee.

Armenian blogger Roman Baghdasaryan spoke about how many former Armenian militants disguised themselves in women’s clothing in an attempt to flee.

Recently, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a phone conversation with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp, during which a very important reminder was made. Bayramov pointed out that following the anti-terrorist measures in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh economic region, Azerbaijan, showing humanitarianism, allowed over 10,000 members of illegal Armenian armed formations to leave the country.

This is an extremely significant point—demonstrating the humanitarian approach of official Baku and once again highlighting our stark contrast with the Armenian side. The 25 Armenian congressmen could have recalled this as well. But they chose to lie instead. They know perfectly well that it was President Ilham Aliyev who, after Azerbaijan's victory in the war with Armenia, proposed a peace agenda—and continues to do so to this day.

“I believe we should not lose time because, once again, with respect to the peace agreement, the ball is in Armenia’s court. On many occasions, I have already made it public what we expect from Armenia regarding our territorial integrity and their constitution,” Aliyev emphasised during the international forum "Facing the New World Order" held at ADA University.

But what have we seen—and continue to see—in response? The Armenian leadership’s unwillingness to eliminate the main obstacle to signing a peace treaty: the removal of all territorial claims against Azerbaijan enshrined in the preamble of Armenia’s Constitution.

Azerbaijan’s demands are more than logical and fair. Because it is impossible to build lasting peace with a party that still harbours territorial claims, one that has repeatedly lied, twisted facts, and actively supported a separatist junta.

In this context, Azerbaijan’s demands have only grown more relevant—and Baku has no intention of backing down from its principled position. No matter how many letters and appeals are penned by U.S. congressmen acting in the interest of the Armenian side.