Washington, DC – The Armenian Assembly welcomes
the inclusion of language in the Fiscal Year 2021 Intelligence Authorization
Act, which was approved today by the House Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence chaired by Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA). Specifically, the Bill would require “a
written assessment regarding tensions between the governments of Armenia and
Azerbaijan, including with respect to the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh
region.” The assessment shall include:
(1) An identification of the strategic interests of the
United States and its partners in the Armenia-Azerbaijan region.
(2) A description of all significant uses of force in and
around the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the border between Armenia and
Azerbaijan during calendar year 2020, including a description of each
significant use of force and an assessment of who initiated the use of such
force.
(3) An assessment of the effect of United States military
assistance to Azerbaijan and Armenia on the regional balance of power and the
likelihood of further use of military force.
(4) An assessment of the likelihood of any further uses
of force or potentially destabilizing activities in the region in the near- to
medium-term.
"The Assembly welcomes the inclusion of this
reporting requirement, which given Azerbaijan's July 12 attack against Armenia,
including the targeting of civilian areas, among them kindergartens, will help
shed greater light on Azerbaijan's actions," stated Armenian Assembly of
America Executive Director Bryan Ardouny.
"Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have routinely agreed to monitors as
well as confidence building measures.
This stands in stark contrast to Azerbaijan, which in addition to
repeatedly targeting kindergartens in Armenia's Tavush region also this month
threatened to strike Armenia's nuclear power plant," Ardouny continued.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the
largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt membership organization.
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