US Senators Urge Biden Administration to Impose Sanctions on Azerbaijan

Republican Senator Alex Padilla and Democratic Senator Marco Rubio have introduced a bipartisan bill calling for the Biden administration to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials in the context of the blockade of the Lachin corridor and to cease all military aid to Azerbaijan. This was reported by the Armenian National Committee of America.

The measure is similar to the bipartisan resolution 108, initiated by the co-chairs of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Frank Pallone, and the leadership of the Armenian Caucus, which now has 88 co-sponsors. The newly introduced resolution, supported by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, specifically calls on the U.S. to apply sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the blockade of Artsakh and ongoing violations of human rights against Armenians and urges the Biden administration to halt all military aid to Azerbaijan, fully implementing the 907 amendment of the Freedom Support Act.

“The blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to Armenia, is inhumane and unacceptable. This blockade has created a humanitarian crisis, depriving 120,000 Armenians in Artsakh of food, medicine, and other essential supplies. Our resolution will make it clear that the United States must take action to hold Azerbaijan accountable,” Senator Padilla stated while introducing the resolution.

Congressman Pallone welcomed the introduction of the resolution in the Senate, stating, “I stand alongside my colleagues today condemning Azerbaijan's ongoing blockade of Artsakh. It is clear that Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin corridor is systematic and seeks to shut down the only route for supplying food, medical supplies, transportation, and other essential goods to Artsakh. We are united in calling on Azerbaijan to end this deliberate humanitarian crisis.”