IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1165 

Condemning Azerbaijan’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and 

denouncing Turkish interference in the conflict. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 1, 2020 

Ms. SPEIER (for herself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. 

SHERMAN, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. SARBANES, 

Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. COSTA, Mr. COOPER, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, 

Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mrs. TRAHAN, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. DEUTCH, 

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. MENG, Mr. COX of California, Mr. 

ROUDA, Ms. GABBARD, Ms. OMAR, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SMITH of New 

Jersey, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. 

SIRES, Mr. NUNES, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, and Ms. PRESSLEY) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning Azerbaijan’s military operation in NagornoKarabakh and denouncing Turkish interference in the 

conflict. 

Whereas, beginning on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan has 

engaged in the most significant military operation along 

the line of contact into Nagorno-Karabakh since the signing of the cease-fire agreement between Azerbaijan and 

Armenia in 1994; 


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•HRES 1165 IH 

Whereas this attack follows increasingly aggressive rhetoric 

and destabilizing actions on the part of Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s government toward NagornoKarabakh and Armenia, including a July 2020 Defense 

Ministry threat to bomb Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear 

Power Plant; 

Whereas Azerbaijan’s ongoing military offensive, which includes the shelling of Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh’s 

most densely populated city with a population of 55,200, 

has resulted in at least dozens of civilians killed and hundreds wounded and, as of September 30, 2020, the threat 

to civilians continues; 

Whereas, as of September 30, 2020, the conflict has resulted 

in the deaths of at least 84 Nagorno-Karabakh 

servicemembers, and both Armenia and Azerbaijan have 

declared martial law, mobilized their Armed Forces, and 

called up Reserve Forces; 

Whereas the Guardian reports that Azerbaijan’s military actions in Nagorno-Karabakh may be part of a planned 

military operation; 

Whereas the conflict follows joint military exercises conducted 

by Turkey and Azerbaijan in August 2020; 

Whereas, according to multiple reports, including the Washington Post, Reuters, and the Guardian, in the weeks 

prior to Azerbaijan’s military operation Turkey recruited 

mercenaries from Syria and, as of September 29, 2020, 

has facilitated their deployment to Azerbaijan; 

Whereas the BBC, New York Times, and Washington Post 

have reported on the Armenian Foreign Ministry’s claim 

that Turkey is operating F–16 fighter jets in the region 

and the claim that on September 29, 2020, Turkey shot 


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•HRES 1165 IH 

down an Armenian Su–25 fighter jet in Armenian airspace, killing the pilot; 

Whereas the conflict has the potential to escalate into proxy 

warfare among regional powers, including Turkey, and to 

further entrench the conflict and threaten peace and stability in the region; 

Whereas the United States serves as a co-chair of the Minsk 

Group along with France and Russia, and the co-chairs 

have urged a cease-fire and urged the parties to return 

to substantive negotiations as soon as possible; and 

Whereas the European Union and the United Nations support a peaceful resolution and immediate cease-fire: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns Azerbaijan’s continued aggressive 

3 military operations in Nagorno-Karabakh and 

4 breaches of the cease-fire agreement; 

5 (2) denounces Turkey’s reported participation 

6 in and escalation of the conflict under President 

7 Tayyip Erdog ̆an; 

8 (3) supports an immediate return to the cease9 fire agreement along the line of contact between 

10 Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan and a peaceful 

11 solution which protects all parties’ human rights and 

12 joins with other countries supporting the same goals; 

13 and 

14 (4) reaffirms United States support of the Or15 ganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe 


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•HRES 1165 IH 

1 Minsk Group efforts to secure an agreement from 

2 Azerbaijan to cease offensive military operations 

3 against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and to ac4 cept independent third-party monitoring along the 

5 line of contact. 

Æ 


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