US Congress Members to Visit Artsakh During Trip to Armenia

US Congress members Jackie Speier-Kanchalian, Judy Chu, and Frank Pallone have decided to also visit Artsakh during their week-long trip to Armenia starting October 1, as announced by Judy Chu, representing Pasadena, during a recent event at the American-Armenian Conference in Congress. "I am particularly interested in visiting Artsakh to see for myself what the situation is like there," she stated.

Chu's initiative, which was approved by a majority in the US House of Representatives about a month ago, aims to allocate $4 million for the implementation of the Royce-Engel proposal to strengthen the ceasefire in the region. This funding will be used to install special equipment along the contact line between Azerbaijan and Artsakh to determine which side has violated the ceasefire. "These funds are aimed at reinforcing peace and holding accountable those who violate the ceasefire," she added.

Judy Chu is also seeking to secure an additional $6 million in direct American aid for Artsakh. She mentioned that she was impressed during her meeting with Armenia's First Lady Anna Hakobyan in Congress last spring. "I really want to visit Artsakh, to familiarize myself with the situation, see what is happening there, and be able to provide more serious support for establishing peace in Artsakh in the future," she noted.

Frank Pallone, co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Armenian-American Friendship Group, emphasized the significance of their visit, noting it is the first visit by American legislators to Armenia following the Velvet Revolution. “One of the reasons for our visit is that our group wants to extend support to the new government and parliament of Armenia,” Pallone explained.

Despite warnings from the State Department advising American lawmakers to avoid a visit to Artsakh, the delegation has decided to proceed with the trip. Regarding their visit to Armenia, the Congress members plan to discuss the expansion of cooperation in political and trade-economic areas with their Armenian counterparts. “We are very excited about the results of the Velvet Revolution. Armenia is on its way to becoming a more democratic country. We are inspired by the new government’s political will to fight corruption, implement judicial reforms, and establish the rule of law in the country,” Pallone concluded.