Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relation Committee Bob Menendez says he is “beyond frustrated” by the Biden Administration’s lack of answers on their response to crisis in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Not only do humanitarian efforts fall short, but our failure to verify and address Azerbaijan’s abuses is entirely unacceptable,” Menendez said in a Twitter post.
The comments come in the wake of a hearing at the Foreign Relations Committee, featuring Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried and State Department Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Philip Reeker.
“Seeing the callous targeting of civilian infrastructure, human rights abuses and growing evidence of unlawful killings and torture by Azerbaijan forces, how can the State Department possibly justify the continued provision of millions in assistance to Azerbaijan?’ Menendez noted.
“it is unequivocally clear: Azerbaijan’s continued attacks on Armenian territory make it the aggressor in this conflict. We MUST hold the aggressor to account, not play both sides in a futile effort to appear impartial.” Sen. Menendez said.
“The realities of this conflict are pressing and real, and the people of the region deserve freedom and security. The Administration has to do better to prevent abuses by the Aliyev regime,” he emphasized.
