- November 6, 2024
Washington, D.C. – Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and John Cornyn (R-TX) lead a bicameral letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing concerns about U.S. participation in COP29 and seeking assurances that Azerbaijan is genuinely pursuing peace with Armenia.
In the letter, the Senators and House members said “U.S. participation at COP29 presents a timely opportunity to advance the historic goal of a lasting and durable peace in the South Caucasus, and we urge you to prioritize this goal when weighing.” The letter warns of Aliyev’s cozy relationship with Vladimir Putin and requests answers on “how will U.S. participation in COP29 change if Azerbaijan does not take meaningful steps to conclude a peace agreement with Armenia before the conference begins?”
“We thank Senators Wicker and Cornyn and all members who signed the letter urging the State Department to use Baku’s hosting of COP29 as a unique opportunity to stop Azerbaijan’s aggression toward Armenia,” said Timothy Jemal, President, of Global ARM. “Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, continuing occupation of sovereign Armenian territory and illegal detention of ethnic Armenian prisoners are major obstacles to the State Department’s goal to achieve a dignified and durable peace agreement.”
Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) and Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) recently co- led a bicameral letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the State Department to press Azerbaijan for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, as a prerequisite for successful diplomacy at COP29. Despite these high-level diplomatic entreaties, the number of political prisoners under President Aliyev’s regime has more than doubled from 122 in December 2021 to over 300 by June 2024, with a particular focus on detaining environmental activists ahead of COP29.
About Global ARM: Global ARM is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization formed in 2022 to implement smarter, stronger and more effective Pro-Armenia, Pro-Artsakh lobbying in Washington, D.C. Global ARM is non-partisan and not aligned with any political party or government inside or outside of Armenia.