Menendez Sends Stern Letter to Blinken Regarding Armenia

The Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, has called on President Biden’s administration to cease American security assistance to Azerbaijan and to reassess the aid allocated to that country, citing recent Azerbaijani attacks on Armenia.

According to reports by the Armenian National Committee of America, Menendez emphasized in a stern letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on September 22 that the U.S. should not have a role in supporting authoritarian oppression. He and his colleagues in Congress will work towards eliminating the presidential restrictions on the implementation of the ‘Section 907’ amendment, which would directly imply the cessation of American military assistance to Azerbaijan.

Menendez referenced studies by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, which revealed that the State Department had not adequately reported to Congress about the impacts of security assistance provided to Azerbaijan. The Foreign Relations Committee Chairman also underscored that the American administration should not downplay the scale of Azerbaijani attacks in an effort to appear impartial.

Quoting Biden’s assertion that “when autocrats are not held accountable for their aggression, they create more chaos,” Menendez expressed that the U.S. has a significant opportunity to stand with the Armenian people as they seek to repel attacks from a tyrannical regime.

Commenting on Menendez’s letter, Ani Chaghlasyan, a member of the Armenian National Committee of America, stated, “We would like to thank Chairman Menendez for his principles and persistence in seeking to halt U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan. This process has become more urgent in light of the Azerbaijani bombings, invasions, and the occupation of Armenian sovereign territory. Working with Senator Menendez, we are committed to pursuing legislation and other avenues to stop the flow of American taxpayer dollars to Azerbaijan.”