IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 320 

Recognizing the Republic of Artsakh’s independence and condemning 

Azerbaijan’s continued aggression against Armenia and Artsakh. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 24, 2023 

Mr. SCHIFF (for himself, Mr. PALLONE, and Mr. GOTTHEIMER) submitted the 

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

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the Republic of Artsakh’s independence and condemning Azerbaijan’s continued aggression against Armenia and Artsakh. 

Whereas the right to self-determination is enshrined in several articles of international law to which the United 

States is a party, including Article I of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which 

states, ‘‘All peoples have the right of self-determination. 

By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and 

cultural development.’’; 

Whereas the United States has historically supported the 

right to self-determination for persecuted populations, including but not limited to the cases of Timor-Leste, 

Kosovo, and South Sudan; 


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Whereas Armenians have been historically recognized as the 

indigenous population of Artsakh (Soviet name: Nagorno 

Karabakh), an integral part of the Armenian homeland 

and a major center of Armenian cultural life, with Christian holy sites dating back to the 1st century; 

Whereas Soviet Azerbaijan engaged in the systematic persecution and discrimination of the region’s indigenous Armenians, which comprised over 80 percent of Artsakh’s 

population; 

Whereas the Republic of Artsakh declared its independence 

in 1991, consistent with their rights under the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning 

Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States (1970) 

in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, 

following Azerbaijan’s deprivation of the fundamental 

rights of the region’s Armenian population and use of 

force, including the pogroms of Sumgait, Baku, and 

Kirovobad that resulted in hundreds of deaths and the 

forced displacement of over 400,000 Armenians from 

Azerbaijan; 

Whereas the Armenians of Artsakh voted with near-unanimous consent to declare their independence from Azerbaijan by referendum on December 10, 1991; 

Whereas Azerbaijan in response launched a full-scale war 

that saw the widespread perpetration of war crimes and 

human rights abuses, including the bombing and blockade of cities, the targeting of civilian populations, and the 

recruitment of foreign terrorists from Chechnya and Afghanistan; 

Whereas the First Karabakh War ended in 1994 with a 

cease-fire brokered by the Russian Federation that enVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:28 Apr 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR320.IH HR320

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sured Artsakh’s de facto independence from Azerbaijan 

and initiated a multilateral conflict resolution process 

under the auspices of the Organization for Security and 

Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) ‘‘Minsk Group’’ cochaired by Russia, the United States, and France; 

Whereas the OSCE Minsk Group process determined to ensure a final resolution to the conflict based on the Helsinki Final Act (1975) principles of non-use of force, territorial integrity, and self-determination; 

Whereas despite these efforts Azerbaijan’s aggression against 

Artsakh continued unabated and culminated in its fullscale assault on the territory in September 2020 with the 

support of Turkey that resulted in thousands of deaths, 

the capture of territory by force, the displacement of tens 

of thousands of civilians, the systematic perpetration of 

war crimes and human rights abuses, and the ongoing 

detention of hundreds of prisoners of war; 

Whereas Azerbaijan continues to demonstrate its inability 

and unwillingness to ensure the fundamental rights of the 

region’s Armenian population, seen in remarks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on January 11, 2023, regarding ethnic Armenians in Artsakh stating, ‘‘Whoever 

does not want to become our citizen, the road is not 

closed’’, just one of his recent comments that raise concerns about ethnic cleansing and a new genocide in 

Artsakh; 

Whereas Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue to carry out 

unprovoked attacks on Armenian territory, including 

opening fire on Armenian soldiers carrying out engineering works in the Tegh Community on April 11, 2023, 

killing four Armenian soldiers and wounding six; 


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Whereas, on March 26, 2023, Azerbaijani troops crossed the 

line of contact to launch an operation to cut off a dirt 

road that was providing some relief from the blockade of 

the Lachin Corridor, in violation of the 2020 cease-fire 

statement; 

Whereas, on March 5, 2023, Azerbaijani troops attacked a 

Nagorno-Karabakh police car, killing three police officers; 

Whereas these are only the most recent escalations by Azerbaijan, as in September 2022, Azerbaijan launched its 

latest, unprovoked assault on sovereign Armenian territory, with intensive shelling and UAV attacks on the villages of Karmir Shuka and Taghavard in Nagorno 

Karabakh (Artsakh), and the Armenian border cities of 

Vardenis, Jermuk, Goris, and Tatev reportedly resulting 

in the deaths of at least 49 soldiers; 

Whereas, since December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan has created 

a humanitarian crisis by blockading the Lachin Corridor, 

the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, 

depriving some 120,000 innocent civilians of their essential rights, including the right to freedom of movement; 

Whereas the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh has grown more 

dire by the day, with widespread shortages of food, medicine, and other necessities and rolling blackouts, all with 

the complicity of the Azerbaijani Government; 

Whereas despite Azerbaijan’s flagrant violation of Armenia’s 

sovereignty, territorial integrity, international law, and 

the November 2020 tripartite statement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia to end the NagornoKarabakh War, the Department of State waived section 

907 of the Freedom Support Act to provide assistance to 

Azerbaijan, despite the recent publication of a GovernVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:28 Apr 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR320.IH HR320

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ment Accountability Office report (22–104619), which 

confirmed the Department of State and Department of 

Defense have failed to meet statutory reporting requirements to Congress on the impact of United States assistance on the peace process and the military balance between Armenia and Azerbaijan; 

Whereas section 907 of the Freedom Support Act is intended 

to prevent United States military assistance to Azerbaijan unless the President certifies Azerbaijan ‘‘is taking 

demonstrable steps to cease all blockades and other offensive uses of force against Armenia and NagornoKarabakh’’; and 

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: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the independence of the Republic 

3 of Artsakh, consistent with the right to self-deter4 mination enshrined in various United Nations in5 struments and the people of Artsakh’s 1991 vote 

6 and decision to declare their independence from 

7 Azerbaijan; 

8 (2) urges the United States to engage 

9 proactively in supporting international recognition of 

10 the status of the Republic of Artsakh; 

11 (3) condemns the ongoing blockade of the 

12 Lachin Corridor and unprovoked attacks by the AzVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:28 Apr 24, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR320.IH HR320

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1 erbaijani forces on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, 

2 and calls for Azerbaijan to immediately cease its 

3 blockade and aggressions against Armenia and 

4 Artsakh without conditions; 

5 (4) calls for all United States foreign and mili6 tary assistance to Azerbaijan to be immediately 

7 ceased pursuant to the section 907 of the Freedom 

8 Support Act and for the Administration to make 

9 clear to the Government of Azerbaijan that further 

10 attacks on Armenia and Artsakh will result in sanc11 tions and other measures; 

12 (5) stands firmly in support of our democratic 

13 partner Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integ14 rity, and against Azerbaijan’s military aggression 

15 and blatant violations of international laws and 

16 norms; and 

17 (6) supports the United States and inter18 national humanitarian assistance programs to meet 

19 the urgent needs of victims of Azerbaijani aggression 

20 in both Armenia and Artsakh. 

Æ 


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