[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1203 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1203
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting the
Republic of Artsakh at all levels of civil society and government and
recognizing the people of Artsakh's inalienable right to self-
determination.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 23, 2020
Mr. Pallone (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Speier, Mr.
McGovern, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Costa, Mrs.
Napolitano, Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr.
Sherman, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Sires, Ms.
Brownley of California, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Espaillat,
Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Lofgren, Ms.
Titus, Ms. Meng, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Suozzi, Mr. Ted Lieu of California,
Ms. Bass, and Mr. Langevin) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
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RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting the
Republic of Artsakh at all levels of civil society and government and
recognizing the people of Artsakh's inalienable right to self-
determination.
Whereas peace, stability, and democracy in the Caucasus region are in the
political, security, and economic interests of the United States and are
matters of international concern;
Whereas the United States considers any effort to determine the future of the
Republic of Artsakh, formerly the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, by other
than peaceful means, including acts of aggression, blockades, or threats
against civil aviation, a threat to peace;
Whereas the United States remains committed to the negotiations under the
auspices of the Co-Chairs of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Minsk Group negotiations toward a durable
and democratic resolution of outstanding status and security issues
related to the Artsakh Republic;
Whereas the Artsakh Republic was one of three parties to the 1994 cease-fire
that ended major military hostilities between Artsakh and Azerbaijan,
and remains committed to a negotiated, non-violent resolution;
Whereas the Artsakh Republic took part in OSCE negotiations until 1998, when
Azerbaijan blocked its democratically elected representatives from full
and direct participation in negotiations regarding its future status and
security;
Whereas, in response to Azerbaijan aggression against the Armenian people during
the 1990s, the United States Congress adopted section 907 of the Freedom
Support Act, which states: ``United States assistance under this or any
other Act (other than assistance under title V of this Act) may not be
provided to the Government of Azerbaijan until the President determines,
and so reports to the Congress, that the Government of Azerbaijan is
taking demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive
uses of force against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh'';
Whereas Azerbaijan, aided by Turkish forces and military supplies, launched a
large-scale military offensive against the Line-of-Contact separating
Artsakh and Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020, that was in clear
violation of the 1994 cease-fire;
Whereas Turkish-supported mercenaries were recruited specifically for the
purposes of fighting on behalf Azerbaijan in the September 27, 2020,
outbreak of violence, and Turkish F-16 fighter jets are suspected of
aiding the indiscriminate bombing of large civilian population centers
like Stepanakert and Shoushi that have endangered the lives of thousands
of innocent civilians and displaced thousands more;
Whereas the September 27, 2020, military offensive by Azerbaijan represents its
third large-scale attack on Artsakh since the signing of the 1994 cease-
fire, and the bombastic rhetoric from Turkish President Erdogan and
Azerbaijani President Aliyev has clearly shown they do not desire a
peaceful outcome of the conflict that results in ethnic Armenians
remaining in the Karabakh region;
Whereas the Artsakh Republic has developed democratic institutions, fostered a
pluralist political system, and, over the past quarter century, held
parliamentary and Presidential elections that have been rated as free
and fair by international observers, despite the constant threat of
military incursion by Azerbaijani forces;
Whereas international recognition of a country's right to self-determination is
the only way to ensure its people will be able to voice their legitimate
concerns and lobby for the peaceful settlement of conflicts on the world
stage;
Whereas the Artsakh Republic, along with the United States, Armenia, and the
OSCE, support cease-fire monitoring proposals to strengthen the 1994
cease-fire, including--
(1) an agreement from all sides to not deploy snipers, heavy arms, or
new weaponry along the line of contact;
(2) the placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems
and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the
line of contact; and
(3) the deployment of additional OSCE observers along the line of
contact to better monitor the cease-fire;
Whereas current Department of State policies and practices place self-imposed
restrictions on travel and communications between the United States and
Artsakh, limiting oversight of United States taxpayer-funded assistance
programs and discouraging the open dialogue and discourse that can
contribute to a peaceful resolution of Artsakh-related status and
security issues; and
Whereas open dialogue and communications contribute to greater international
understanding and facilitate more effective conflict resolution: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the September 27, 2020, military offensive
launched by Azerbaijani and Turkish-backed forces on Artsakh;
(2) calls upon all parties involved in the conflict to
withdraw to the initial positions as of September 27, 2020, to
honor any negotiated cease-fire, to halt any attacks on
civilian populations, and allow unfettered access for
humanitarian and emergency aid to civilians in need of such
assistance;
(3) urges the President of the United States to follow the
congressional intent of section 907 of the Freedom Support Act
and withhold any further assistance to Azerbaijan until they
end military operations against Artsakh;
(4) affirms that the only peaceful, long-lasting resolution
to this conflict will come from international recognition of
the Republic of Artsakh;
(5) upholds its commitment to supporting actions that
encourage visits and communication between officials from the
United States and Artsakh at all levels, including cabinet-
level national security officials, general officers, and other
executive branch officials, to travel to Artsakh and openly and
directly communicate with their Artsakh counterparts;
(6) encourages open communication, meetings, and other
direct contacts between officials of Artsakh and the executive
and legislative branches of the United States Government,
representatives of State and local governments, and
representatives of American civil society; and
(7) calls for the full and direct participation of the
democratically elected Government of the Republic of Artsakh in
all OSCE and other negotiations regarding its future.
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