Risch, Rubio, Portman, Johnson: Armenia and Azerbaijan Must immediately Cease Violence

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) today released the following statement on the escalation of fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh:

“The rapid escalation of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region is extremely worrying. Sadly, over the past five days, both sides have faced needless casualties. All regional powers involved in the conflict must end their aggressive and escalatory actions, and channel their efforts into bringing all parties to the negotiating table. The risk this violence poses to the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the wider Caucasus region is too great.

“As we have seen with the Prespa Agreement between North Macedonia and Greece, as well as with the recent peace agreements between Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, peaceful negotiations can lead to resolutions that benefit the lives of all citizens. A long-standing conflict like the one between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be solved through political dialogue rather than military aggression. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan should immediately cease the violence and return to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Minsk Group to negotiate a peaceful end to this decades-long disagreement.”

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