News - Senate unanimously adopts bill blocking US military aid to Azerbaijan

Michigan Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) led the unanimous U.S. Senate passage of the “Armenian Protection Act of 2023” (S.3000) which aims to block all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan by removing President Biden’s authority to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act for Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). The vote comes in response to mounting pressure from the ANCA, Congressional allies, and a diverse coalition of pro-Armenian civil society advocates in the face of Azerbaijan’s genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh) Christian Armenian population. In remarks on the Senate Floor during consideration of the measure, Sen. Peters detailed Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh. “Not only did they blockade the Lachin Corridor for 10 months, creating significant hardships, they also violently attacked innocent Armenians and forced the dissolution of the government of Nagorno-Karabakh on September 20th.” Noting that President Biden failed to stop military aid to Azerbaijan in the face of their escalating aggression, Sen. Peters urged his Senate colleagues to act. “If we do not take action when countries willfully ignore the terms of our agreements with them, our agreements will become effectively meaningless and toothless,” stated Senator Peters. “I urge my colleagues to join me in holding Azerbaijan accountable for their actions, enforce our agreements with them, and stand with the Armenian people in the face of unprovoked aggression.”