We Hope Trump Will Condemn Azerbaijan's Ethnic Cleansing in Artsakh: ANCA

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has reaffirmed its dissatisfaction with the Trump-Pence administration for encouraging Azerbaijan's aggression against the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh in 2020, refusing to recognize the Armenian Genocide, and failing to condemn the war crimes committed during the 44-day Artsakh war, as well as not taking necessary steps to hold Azerbaijan accountable.

Following the precedent set by subsequent administrations, the Trump-Pence administration revoked Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act throughout its four-year term, thereby lifting restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan due to the blockade of Armenia and Artsakh. Additionally, the Trump-Pence administration violated the established precedent of parity in U.S. military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan by sharply increasing military aid to Baku, providing over $120 million, which fueled the aggression of Aliyev's regime, culminating in the September 2020 attack on Artsakh.

During the 44-day war, the Trump-Pence administration took no substantive action to halt Azerbaijan's unprovoked aggression, even amidst widespread documentation of war crimes, including the execution of civilians, the use of prohibited weapons against them, the arbitrary detention and torture of Armenian prisoners of war, and the destruction of Artsakh's ancient Christian heritage.

Following Azerbaijan's genocidal assault on Artsakh, which led to the forced displacement of over 50,000 civilians and the ethnic cleansing of 70% of the region, the Trump-Pence administration took no steps to hold Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes and human rights violations. The impunity granted to Baku for its attacks on the Armenians of Artsakh only further incentivized the regime's aggression, including Azerbaijan's military incursions into Armenia in May 2021 and September 2022, culminating in the blockade of Artsakh in September 2023 and the subsequent ethnic cleansing.

In addition to failing to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its genocidal aggression, the public embrace of Turkey's President Erdogan by the Trump-Pence administration provided a carte blanche amid his destabilizing actions in the region. During the 2020 Artsakh war, Turkey provided military support to Azerbaijan, including the deployment of NATO F-16 jets in Azerbaijan. Furthermore, Turkey violated U.S. arms export laws by installing dual-use American technologies in drones sent to Azerbaijan for attacks on Armenian civilians and infrastructure.

The Trump-Pence administration also turned a blind eye to Turkey's recruitment of foreign mercenaries, including those linked to ISIS and other terrorist organizations notorious in Syria and Libya, who were deployed in Azerbaijan during the 44-day war.

In the context of Syria's destabilization, the Trump-Pence administration opposed the humanitarian deployment of medical personnel and combat engineers by Armenia to Aleppo, where they saved the lives of Armenians and other Syrian citizens endangered by the administration's reckless foreign policy.

The Trump-Pence administration's decision to support Azerbaijan's genocidal attack on Artsakh in 2020 and its inaction in the face of Azerbaijan's military crimes will weigh heavily on American Armenian voters this November, including in key states. In light of Donald Trump's candidacy and Senator JD Vance's elevation to the vice presidency, American Armenian voters expect the Trump-Vance campaign to condemn Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing in Artsakh and support Congressional efforts to hold Azerbaijan accountable for crimes against humanity.