Director of National Intelligence to Present Assessment on Nagorno-Karabakh Status to US Congress

The US Congress has come to an agreement on a $900 billion package that will be provided in the coming months, which includes provisions related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was reported by 'Voice of America'.

The US Congress has reached a consensus on the adoption of a $900 billion stimulus bill, as stated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell during his speech. 'Our citizens continue to struggle against the coronavirus during these holiday days, and we will not leave them alone,' McConnell said.

The Congress aims to include a $1.4 trillion spending bill in the coronavirus aid package that is designed to finance government programs until September 2021. According to lawmakers, it is necessary to adopt a temporary extension of funding since the deadline expires at midnight on Sunday.

This bill also contains provisions related to the recent Armenian-Azerbaijani war and regional developments. In section 615, titled 'Assessment of Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan,' it states that no later than 90 days after the bill comes into force, the Director of National Intelligence must provide written assessments to the congressional intelligence committees regarding the existing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The legislation also requires that the prepared document includes the following provisions:

1. Disclosure of the strategic interests of the United States and its partners in the region.
2. Description of all significant instances of force used around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan during 2020, including the description of each significant use of force and an assessment of which party initiated the use of force.
3. Assessment of the impact of US military assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia in terms of the balance of power in the region and the likelihood of further military force usage.
4. Assessment of the likelihood of further use of force or possible destabilizing actions in the near and mid-term future.

The bill also requires that the document be prepared without the publication of classified information; however, if necessary, it may include appendices with classified information.