US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told House Foreign Affairs Committee members that the United States is actively working to prevent an Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia, responding to bipartisan calls from Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) to enforce Section 907 restrictions on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan and secure the immediate release of Armenian hostages, ANCA reports.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), raised concerns about Azerbaijani war crimes and political hostages: “It’s very clear that after the genocide committed by Aliyev against the Armenians, there are many, many political prisoners and POWs being held… I would just encourage you to do whatever you can to get those men and women released — at least 300.”Rubio acknowledged the urgency of the issue, stating that the U.S. is using its diplomatic presence to prioritize human rights and peace.
“The issues you raised about prisoners and human rights are critical… Azerbaijan provides us an opportunity to do that in the context of the broader peace that we’re trying to establish.” Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) urged U.S. support for Armenia and called for an end to U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, stating: “We’ve tried to get Republican and Democratic administrations to forego the waiver on Section 907 on military aid to Azerbaijan. Finally, last year, the Biden Administration rightfully refused to issue the waiver. I think it should be permanent.
Secretary Rubio replied, “We have not made a determination on that yet because what we are focused on now is getting them to agree to a peace agreement that does not cause them to invade a neighboring country, Armenia. And we have tried to outline to both sides, especially the Azerbaijani side, the tremendous benefits that would come from signing a peace deal and not engaging in a war that we would find to be destructive, counterproductive, and the last thing we need right now in the region,” Rubio said.
