10/18/2020
Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD) calls US Officials to Support Azerbaijan and Condemn Armenia’s Aggression
Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD) joins voices expressing concern with the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, and the resulting casualties and suffering on both sides. We call on the US leadership to stand in these difficult times with its ally, Azerbaijan, and condemn Armenia’s aggression against that country.
While it is encouraging to see an increased attention to this subject, it is regrettable that some prominent US politicians, such as Congressman Adam Schiff, chose to serve the narrow-sighted goals of ethnic lobby groups with their misguided anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric, instead of expressing the broader interests of American voters. We also note that both Secretary of State Pompeo’s interview to Atlanta’s WSB channel and the former Vice President Biden’s campaign statement fall short of fully reflecting the realities of the conflict, failing to identify Armenia as the side primarily responsible for the initiation and continuation of this war.
The current hostilities stem from a conflict that started more than 30 years ago, right before the collapse of Soviet Union. At that time, the invasion and ethnic cleansing campaign conducted by the Armenian forces against Azerbaijan resulted in war crimes, thousands killed and around eight hundred thousand Azerbaijanis expelled from their homes by 1993. Four UN Security Council Resolutions were passed demanding an immediate and unequivocal withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijan. But the refusal of the Armenian leadership to back down from its aggression led to the stalemate in peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by US, France and Russia.
The lack of tangible measures by the international community to hold Armenia responsible and enforce the international norms and laws regarding this conflict only emboldened the leadership in Yerevan in further entrenching and expanding the illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories. During this time, Armenia has been launching numerous attacks against Azerbaijani civilians around the conflict zone and in the areas beyond. The latest such provocation in September of this year prompted the Azerbaijani army to take measures towards freeing the country from Armenian armed forces.
In its operations, the Azerbaijani army targeted Armenian military equipment and personnel illegally present within Azerbaijan. All of hostilities have taken place within Azerbaijan’s international borders. Armenia responded by launching missiles into Azerbaijani population centers, including those far away from the conflict zone. Armenian missiles targeted civilians in Azerbaijan’s second largest city by hitting residential quarters around the city’s retail market center and other areas. Dozens of civilians, including children, were thus killed in the middle of night, in their beds, under the rubble of destroyed buildings.
We hope that the US officials will pursue a fair and balanced policy towards this conflict. Avoiding biased steps and demonstrating an objective approach that recognizes the real facts can help to promote America’s own national interests and help the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia achieve a long-awaited peace.
Azerbaijani-Americans for Democracy (AZAD)
October 18, 2020
