Frank Pallone: “I would like to address the need to expedite humanitarian assistance that has already been appropriated to Nagorno…”

“I would like to address the need to expedite humanitarian assistance that has already been appropriated to Nagorno Karabagh. Just by way of background, the Republic of Nagorno Karabagh is a region which has been populated by Armenians since ancient times and which is still an Armenian region known as Artsakh to the Armenian people, but which is claimed by the Republic of Azerbaijan as part of that country's territory. As I have mentioned in this House on several occasions, the people of Karabagh fought, and won, a war of independence against Azerbaijan. A cease-fire has been in place since 1994, but it has been shaky at best. The U.S. has been involved in the negotiations intended to pursue a just and lasting peace in this region but, unfortunately, the United States' position has sided with Azerbaijan's claim of so-called territorial integrity, despite the fact that this land has been Armenian land for centuries and the borders which gave the land to Azerbaijan were imposed by the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.”