Armenian Cause Committee Responds to Trump's Statement

The Armenian Cause Committee in Washington, D.C., has responded to remarks made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump regarding issues affecting the Armenian community. In September, the committee also issued critical feedback to the Democratic candidate Kamala Harris for her message to Armenian Americans.

Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican presidential candidate, posted on the Truth social platform, where he criticized Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizing that she did "nothing when 120,000 Armenian Christians were brutally persecuted and forcibly displaced from Artsakh." He added, "When I become president, I will defend persecuted Christians, work to stop the violence and ethnic cleansing, and we will restore peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

The Armenian Cause Committee of America responded, stating, "President Trump, who has significantly increased U.S. military support for Azerbaijan by arming and encouraging Aliyev's regime to attack Artsakh in 2020, needs to do more than just make a campaign announcement. He must provide tangible results before election day. He can start by publicly affirming the right of Artsakh [the Armenian population] to return and personally call on House Speaker Johnson to set a timeline for the vote on H.R.7288, which would impose restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan under Section 907." Executive Director Aram Hamparian added, "In turn, Senate candidate J.D. Vance should support and work for the adoption of S.Res.540, a Senate resolution that will examine the use of U.S. military assistance by Azerbaijan for committing war crimes against Armenians."

Hamparian expressed satisfaction that the consistent engagement of the Armenian American community has forced Artsakh and Armenia onto the agenda of U.S. national electoral discussions. He stated, "We expect more than just words. To earn our votes, we demand to see results—action that will effectively punish Aliyev and thwart any new aggression from Azerbaijan."

The Armenian Cause Committee's statement noted that "there are less than two weeks until the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and both Republican and Democratic candidates have issued statements regarding Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in an attempt to attract Armenian American support in key electoral states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin."

"It is clear that Armenian voices are important. We saw this today when former President Trump criticized the Biden-Harris administration for its inaction regarding ethnic cleansing in Artsakh by Azerbaijan. We also witnessed this a few weeks ago when Vice President Harris called for a safe and sustainable return for the Armenian population to Artsakh," Hamparian stated in his video message directed at Armenian American voters and coalition partners.