{"id":21694,"date":"2023-11-17T08:05:09","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T08:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ancnews.info\/?p=21694"},"modified":"2023-11-17T08:05:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T08:05:14","slug":"senate-unanimously-adopts-bill-blocking-u-s-military-aid-to-azerbaijan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ancnews.info\/?p=21694","title":{"rendered":"Senate Unanimously Adopts Bill Blocking U.S. Military Aid to Azerbaijan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Senator Gary Peters Leads Passage of S.3000, Removing the Biden Administration’s Authority to Waive Section 907 in Fiscal Year 2024 & FY 2025

WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 \u00a0<\/strong>Michigan Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) led the unanimous U.S. Senate passage of the \u201cArmenian Protection Act of 2023\u201d (S.3000) which aims to block all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan by removing President Biden\u2019s authority to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025.\u00a0 The vote comes in response to mounting pressure from the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), Congressional allies, and a diverse coalition of pro-Armenian civil society advocates in the face of Azerbaijan\u2019s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh\u2019s Christian Armenian population.

\u201cWe thank Senator Peters for his leadership and welcome the Senate\u2019s adoption of S.3000 as a first step toward holding Azerbaijan accountable for its genocide of Artsakh and deterring renewed aggression toward Armenia,\u201d said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. \u201cFor his part, President Biden \u2013 given his role in arming Azerbaijan\u2019s ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh – needs to do far more at this point than simply signal a willingness to enforce an existing U.S. statute, for example, by leading a UN Security Council resolution to establish an international mandate providing security for the safe and sustainable return of Armenians to Artsakh.\u201d

In remarks on the Senate Floor during consideration of the measure, Sen. Peters detailed Azerbaijan\u2019s aggression against Artsakh. \u00a0\u201cNot only did they blockade the Lachin Corridor for 10 months, creating significant hardships, they also violently attacked innocent Armenians and forced the dissolution of the government of Nagorno-Karabakh on September 20th.\u201d

Noting that President Biden failed to stop military aid to Azerbaijan in the face of their escalating aggression, Sen. Peters urged his Senate colleagues to act. \u00a0\u201cIf we do not take action when countries willfully ignore the terms of our agreements with them, our agreements will become effectively meaningless and toothless,\u201d stated Senator Peters. \u201cI urge my colleagues to join me in holding Azerbaijan accountable for their actions, enforce our agreements with them, and stand with the Armenian people in the face of unprovoked aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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