WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Menendez, Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this week warned at the Senate session that Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has all the characteristics of genocide.
He expressed a view that the US does not put enough pressure on the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and called for sanctions against the Aliyev regime — for war crimes and ethnic cleansing. Also, Menendez urged US President Biden’s administration to end any security assistance to Azerbaijan.
Menendez said he is confident that the US can and should play an active role in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, and called on the US authorities to support the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as to act as a mediator in signing an agreement between the parties.
In addition, Menendez reflected on the role of the European Union (EU) in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. According to him, instead of considering Azerbaijan as an important partner in the energy sector, the EU should put pressure on Azerbaijan to end its blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.
