During the hearing on the ‘Assessing the Crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh’ in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the chairman of the committee, Bob Menendez, presented in detail the humanitarian situation in the besieged Nagorno-Karabakh. “Azerbaijan has been blocking the Lachin Corridor for months, not allowing humanitarian assistance to enter this Armenian community, which is starving,” the senator said.
Referring to one truckload of Russian humanitarian aid delivered to Nagorno-Karabakh via the Aghdam road, Menendez reminded that previously 120 trucks entered Nagorno-Karabakh a day. He described Azerbaijan's actions as “ethnic cleansing” and noted that Aliyev's goal is to subjugate the people of Karabakh or starve them to death. The Chairman of the Senate committee quoted former ICC (International Criminal Court) Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo as saying that starvation is an “invisible genocide weapon.”
Menendez also warned that Azerbaijan is accumulating a large number of forces on the border. According to him, time is short. “The message of the United States at a high level should be clear - stop the blockade, stop the threats against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, stop the threats against Armenia, open the Lachin Corridor immediately, uphold the commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan on November 9, 2020,” the senator said. In his assessment, in the current situation, Russia is an “unreliable and incapable partner, an obstacle to peace and security.”
Menendez assured that he will make every effort to force the US State Department to take active steps to overcome the situation.
“Talk is worthless when one participant in those talk is carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing. Aliyev's actions fully deserve sanctions. I'm sure he should face an international court. If we don't act now, the burden of proof of his crimes will be very heavy on our shoulders. I don't understand why we always get together and repeat, "Never again." Right now, an event is happening before our eyes that should never have happened,” Bob Menendez, Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated.
Senator James Risch expressed his opinion that the US should conduct a more active policy in the South Caucasus. According to him, the importance of the region is growing because the latter is close to Russia, Iran and Turkey. The Senator warned that if the US fails, Russia's role in the region may increase again or China's may strengthen. According to Risch, the USA and the European Union should play an important role in the future of the Caucasus region.
Yuri Kim, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, noted in her introductory speech that Washington is closely following the unfolding events. “During the past few months, we have actively worked to resolve the worsening situation in Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Kim.
“We share your concerns that the situation needs an urgent solution. We are deeply concerned about the closure of the Lachin Corridor and its impact on the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. To be clear, we consider the created situation unacceptable. We strongly insist that the Lachin Corridor should be opened for humanitarian, commercial and private traffic. We conveyed that message to the Azerbaijani authorities through all channels. Access to food, medicine, baby formula and energy should never be held hostage,” Yuri Kim, Acting Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs said.
The official noted that Washington welcomed the delivery of humanitarian cargo to Nagorno-Karabakh the other day, but did not consider it sufficient. “Our representative, Louis Bono, is currently in the region to reach the resumption of cargo transportation, so he was unable to attend this hearing,” Yuri Kim said.
The official also stressed the importance of launching other routes, at the same time stressing that regardless of them, unblocking the Lachin corridor is a necessity. The representative of the State Department noted that now there is an opportunity to build trust between the parties. She also called for the regional forces, Russia, China, and Iran, to be more involved in the process of establishing peace.
“Our position has been clear in all kinds of discussions: the rights and security of ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh must be protected. It is one of the most essential elements of any lasting and dignified peace agreement. Azerbaijan should provide internationally recognized and verifiable assurances that Armenians can live in their homes without fear. Let me be clear: the United States will never accept any short-term or long-term action against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh that would be aimed at carrying out ethnic cleansing against them,” Kim said.
During the question-and-answer session, Senator Menendez asked Yuri Kim whether the State Department agrees with her and the International Court of Justice's assertion that the suspension of the supply of food and other goods posed a threat to the lives of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians. “Yes, we share all those concerns,” Kim replied. According to Menendez, it is impossible to believe Ilham Aliyev's words that Azerbaijan wants peace when Baku has build-ups on the border of Armenia and along the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh. The Senator tried to find out whether the Biden administration made it clear to Aliyev that there will be sanctions if the aggressive policy continues. Yuri Kim recalled the many meetings and phone calls made by the State Department and emphasized. "One thing is clear: the Lachin Corridor must be opened immediately and we will not tolerate any military attack on the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” the official stressed. She added that the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not over, so US efforts to establish peace become more important.
At the request of Senator Ben Cardin, she also addressed the question of why until now the Biden administration has not implemented Article 907 of the Freedom Act, which prohibits military aid to Azerbaijan, but has repeatedly asked Congress to suspend it. Kim noted that Article 907 provides for the suspension of any military aid if Azerbaijan tries to resolve issues with Armenia by military means. At the same time, according to him, Washington took into account the extent to which military support to Baku is in the US national interest. “As of June, we have not yet renewed our request to suspend Resolution 907. It is also because we closely follow the unfolding events in Nagorno-Karabakh,” said the Assistant Secretary of State.
Senator Menendez countered that by not applying Article 907, the US is sending a message to other countries of the world. “As long as you get support from us on border security issues, you can freely carry out ethnic cleansing. It's terrible,” Menendez said.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen noted that the issues of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and reopening of the Lachin Corridor may be resolved faster if the US approves its new Ambassador to Azerbaijan. According to the Senator, it will speed up the delivery of Washington's messages to Baku. She also asked what Yuri Kim thinks about Russia's role.
“I think it would be appropriate to demand from the Russian side to fulfill their obligations, that is, to prevent violence. Ensuring the functioning of the Lachin Corridor is also the responsibility of the Russians,” Kim said
At the end of the discussion, Senator Menendez asked: “In your opinion, why does Ilham Aliyev not open the Lachin Corridor after the decision of the International Court of Justice?" Yuri Kim said that the discussion of this issue should be closed and confidential.
“My answer will not be secret. He does not want to open the passage because he wants to subdue that people by starving them to death. It doesn't need to be discussed in secret,” Menendez said.
He stressed at the end of the hearing that after various discussions over the past 30 years, he is still surprised by the answers the US State Department gives to his questions.
