US Congress Members Propose Amendments to Halt Military Aid to Azerbaijan

In the U.S. House of Representatives, members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus have proposed a series of amendments to the defense appropriations bill ahead of the 2024 fiscal year that would prohibit military assistance to Azerbaijan. This initiative by U.S. lawmakers comes amid nearly nine months of blockade in Artsakh. Four amendments have been presented to the House:

• Amendment 258, which prevents the use of financial resources for military assistance to Azerbaijan;
• Amendment 263, which bars the use of funds for military aid to Azerbaijan that could be used against Armenia or Artsakh;
• Amendment 272, which stops military aid and security assistance to Azerbaijan's government, security, and border forces;
• Amendment 285, which allocates $1 million to support activities and partnerships of the U.S. Department of Defense aimed at peacefully resolving the illegal blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan and allowing the unobstructed movement of essential humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, as well as commercial activities through the Lachin corridor.

The Armenian National Committee of America also reports that two additional amendments have been presented to prohibit the acquisition, use, transfer, and sale of cluster munitions, considering the catastrophic consequences of their use by Azerbaijan in the 2020 Artsakh War. The proposed amendments are currently under discussion in the House Rules Committee, which will determine when they will be considered by members of the U.S. House of Representatives when they return for the session in mid-September.