New US Senate Foreign Relations chair says US 'should halt security assistance to Azerbaijan'

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The new head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ben Cardin, encouraged support Wednesday for Armenia and reevaluating military assistance and security cooperation with Azerbaijan.

"The United States should halt security assistance to Azerbaijan until it has stopped this brutal campaign," Cardin said in a statement.

He accused Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev of using "military power to exert control over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh," and "effectively erasing its Armenian population and rich history."

The US "must both prioritize support for the Armenians who have been expelled as well as holding Azerbaijan accountable," said Cardin.

"As we look forward we must take steps to ensure that Azerbaijan does not advance militarily in pursuit for further territorial gains, including forcefully condemning inflammatory rhetoric," he said.

Cardin also urged the US and the international community to reaffirm their commitments to documenting "war crimes and atrocities, as well as continue to support efforts to repatriate prisoners of war, many of whom Azerbaijan continues to detain."

"Finally, we must stand in solidarity with the Armenian people, particularly as Azerbaijan and Turkey eye the potential Zangezur corridor," he said, adding that the US should increase humanitarian support to Armenians who left Karabakh.

"The U.S. should also continue to support democratic reforms that Armenia's leadership has taken in recent years, including efforts to promote transparency, good governance, and economic cooperation with the United States and Western Europe more broadly," he added.

The Azerbaijani army initiated an anti-terrorism initiative Sept. 19 in Karabakh to establish constitutional order in the region.

Illegal Armenian armed forces in Karabakh surrendered after 24-hour counter-terrorism steps.

Following the measures, Azerbaijan, having established full sovereignty in the region, urged the Armenian population to become part of Azerbaijani society.