Booker Statement on Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued the following statement:

“The world has watched as Azerbaijan has committed unconscionable abuses against ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. From the inhumane blockade of humanitarian assistance, the use of military force to take over Nagorno-Karabakh, the detention of political leaders, and now the mass displacement of Armenians—it is clear that these systematic acts of oppression and violence towards Armenians meet the benchmark of ethnic cleansing.

“I strongly support an immediate halt and reevaluation of all United States assistance to Azerbaijan, and urge the Aliyev regime to immediately allow access to independent observers. We must also work to prevent further military action by Azerbaijan.

“The United States must step up our existing efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians who have been forced from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh. Over one hundred years have passed since the Armenian genocide—the United States and international community have a moral responsibility to ensure that history does not repeat itself.”