Initiatives Against Turkey and Azerbaijan: Robert Menendez

Robert Menendez, the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who recently proposed a resolution with Senator Marco Rubio to cut American military aid to Azerbaijan and impose sanctions, introduced two more initiatives on September 30.

According to a statement from the Armenian National Committee of America, Menendez's new initiative includes provisions in the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act that prevent the U.S. President from being able to waive the application of the "Section 907" and block the sale of F-16 fighter jets and their upgrade systems to Turkey. The legislative removal of the presidential waiver for the implementation of the "Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act" will directly deprive Azerbaijan of American military aid, the statement notes.

Aram Hambaryan, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America's Washington office, stated: "We wish to express our gratitude to Senator Menendez for his efforts to hold accountable the two reckless regional powers that pose a real threat to Armenia and Artsakh. The proposed measures will legislatively ensure that the U.S. does not send weapons or American taxpayer dollars to either of these powers."

Discussions on the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act in the Senate will commence on October 11. The Armenian National Committee of America continues to work in various directions to ensure the passage of the introduced proposals, as noted in the statement from the Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation's Central Office.

Enacted in 1992, the "Section 907" of the Freedom Support Act prohibits Washington from providing assistance to Azerbaijan until the U.S. President reports to Congress that Azerbaijan has renounced the use of force against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. The section has been amended following the September 11 attacks in 2001, when President Bush, citing national interests, demanded a revision from the Senate to allow military cooperation with Azerbaijan in the anti-terror war. Over the years, the Armenian side has opposed this amendment.