Is There a Chance for Peace Amidst the Tragic Past Between Armenia and Azerbaijan? Hearings in Congress

Is there a chance for peace and stability amidst the tragic past between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and what can the United States do to support this? Last night, American lawmakers discussed this question for more than an hour in the Helsinki Commission of Congress, reports Azatutyun. This authoritative body was created more than 45 years ago by the U.S. government to monitor cooperation and security in Europe.

Both Democratic and Republican lawmakers participating in the discussion agreed that Armenia cannot overcome the current challenges alone. Azerbaijan shows no signs of withdrawing from the occupied territories of Armenia and is putting forward new demands to delay the signing of a peace treaty, stated Senator Ben Cardin, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who visited Armenia months ago.

“Azerbaijan is insisting on a demand to change the Armenian Constitution, which is ridiculous and unnecessary. In our view, its purpose is to postpone or cancel the peace agreement,” said Cardin.

The experienced congressman emphasized that, in his opinion, the document being negotiated for nearly two years between Armenia and Azerbaijan is unjust as it does not address several key issues for the Armenian side.

“As far as I understand, they are not even discussing Nagorno-Karabakh and the displaced people from there, nor are they discussing border issues concerning the areas currently under Azerbaijani control, so it’s not a fair agreement at all. Nonetheless, as far as I understand, Armenia wants to move forward because that is the only way to open borders and put the country on the right path for economic development,” noted Ben Cardin.

However, the mere desire of Armenia is not enough, the congress members and regional experts present at the discussion noted, emphasizing that the United States, alongside European allies, must encourage Azerbaijan and Turkey to respond to the concessions from the Armenian side. Republican co-chair of the committee, Joe Wilson, mentioned that he personally met with the President of Azerbaijan days ago, conveying this message.

“For Armenia to have a peaceful and prosperous future, for Azerbaijan to compete, and for the entire region to move forward, both Turkey and Azerbaijan must take meaningful steps towards reconciliation with Armenia. The United States continues to support this process, but our support alone is not enough; all interested parties in the region need to cooperate,” Wilson emphasized. “The future of Armenia and the whole region depends on what happens in the coming months and years.”

However, this is difficult to predict, committee members noted. “Turkey is not opening the border as long as Armenia does not resolve its relations with Azerbaijan. Russia, for its part, is not interested in the resolution of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and is obstructing from behind the scenes to prevent the parties from reaching an agreement,” announced Ben Cardin, co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission, raising the question of what to do to escape this deadlock.

Armenian expert Tigran Grigoryan, invited by Congress, offered several recommendations: strengthen Armenia's military, economic, and democratic capacities and impose restrictions on Azerbaijan. “At a minimum, targeted sanctions should be imposed on Azerbaijani officials and military personnel involved in war crimes and aggression against the Armenians of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Failing to hold them accountable only strengthens Azerbaijan's series of attacks,” said Grigoryan.

Several congress members present, mainly from the Republican camp, emphasized that Azerbaijan, and particularly Turkey, remain the United States' most trusted allies in the region. Following several such remarks, Democratic co-chair of the Turkish Caucus in Congress, Steve Cohen, warned that today's Turkey is not the country with which the United States collaborated for decades: “They are definitely no longer our friends, are no longer as reliable, and are engaged in transactions with Russia, China, and others. So be careful.”

All agreed during the discussion that Washington must provide political, economic, and diplomatic support to Armenia. Hours after the hearings, the U.S. government announced it is doubling the financial assistance provided to Armenia, increasing it from $120 million to $250 million. According to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the purpose of this support is to develop democracy and the economy in Armenia.

“We need to get involved so that Armenia can defend itself and be able to make its own decisions, remove the Russians from Armenia, and improve relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey to open new trade opportunities,” emphasized Ben Cardin during the discussion in the Helsinki Commission.

This committee of Congress does not make actual decisions but contributes to the formulation and implementation of U.S. policy towards the OSCE and its member states by providing the U.S. government with periodic reports on threats to stability and security in Europe.