Join Calls Urging Azerbaijan to Release Armenian Hostages
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) welcomes a powerful bipartisan Congressional call today by eighty-seven U.S. Representatives from across twenty-four states – representing over 66 million Americans – calling for the collective and protected return” of forcibly displaced Armenians to their indigenous homeland of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), in line with international law and in support of just and lasting peace in the South Caucasus.
“This bipartisan Congressional letter sends the Administration a clear message: Any path to real regional peace needs to start with the collective, protected return of Armenians to Artsakh – certainly not the normalization of Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of indigenous Christians from their ancient homeland,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Armenian American voters and our many allies are grateful to the Armenian Caucus leadership and every Member of Congress who stood up today for peace and justice – a message backed by international law and rooted in human rights.”
In their letter, led by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA), lawmakers emphasized: “We urge you to engage all parties in this unresolved conflict to ensure the collective, protected, and dignified return of forcibly displaced Armenians to their indigenous homeland of Nagorno Karabakh. Taking this action is in direct accordance with international law and in pursuit of a just and lasting peace in the region.”
The bipartisan letter welcomed Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which confirmed “U.S. support for a peace process that averts the risk of escalation by Azerbaijan and ensures the release of all arbitrarily detained Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives,” and also “note[d] and welcome[d] the Final Statement of the International Conference on the Preservation of Armenian Religious, Cultural, and Historical Heritage in Nagorno Karabakh. The conference was held under the auspices of the World Council of Churches on May 27-28,
2025, in Bern, Switzerland, where they urged “governments and international bodies, particularly Switzerland, where we are meeting today, to take diplomatic and legal steps based on OSCE and other conventions to prevent further erasure of Armenian cultural heritage, support the return of the people to their land and to work actively towards the liberation of the Armenian hostages in Baku.”
Joining Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA) in cosigning the letter were Representatives: Gabe Amo (D-RI), Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Nanette Diaz Barragan (D-CA), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Ami Bera (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Nikki Budzinski (D-IL), Andre Carson (D-IN), Greg Casar (D-TX), Sean Casten (D-IL), Joaquín Castro (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Charles Fleischmann (R-TN), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Vince Fong (R-CA), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Laura Friedman (D-CA), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jonathan Jackson (D-IL), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), John Larson (D-CT), George Latimer (D-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Susie Lee (D-NV), Mike Levin (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Seth Magaziner (D-RI), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Sarah McBride (D-DE), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern (D-MA), Rob Menendez (D-NJ), Grace Meng (D-NY), Dave Min (D-CA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Scott Peters (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Luz Rivas (D-CA), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), David Taylor (R-OH), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), George Whitesides (D-CA), and Nikema Williams (D-GA).
The Congressional letter is available here.
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