III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 797 

Expressing the sense of the Senate condemning Azerbaijani forces’ illegal 

and unprovoked assault on Armenian territory and insisting upon the 

cessation of security assistance to Azerbaijan in accordance with Federal 

law. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 27, 2022 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate condemning Azerbaijani 

forces’ illegal and unprovoked assault on Armenian territory and insisting upon the cessation of security assistance to Azerbaijan in accordance with Federal law. 

Whereas, on September 13, 2022, Azerbaijani forces mounted 

an illegal and unprovoked assault on Armenian territory, 

including the cities of Vardenis, Sotk, Artanish, 

Ishkhanasar, Goris, and Kapan; 

Whereas, by September 14, 2022, Armenian Prime Minister 

Nikol Pashinyan announced a preliminary death toll of 

more than 100 Armenians; 

Whereas the Azerbaijani military fired artillery at Armenian 

villages along the border, forcing more than 2,750 civilVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Sep 27, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR797.IS SR797

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•SRES 797 IS 

ians, including 370 children and 55 people with disabilities, to evacuate their homes and take shelter; 

Whereas, according to Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, the Azerbaijani attack 

damaged 192 residential buildings in Gegharkunik, 

Syunik, and Vayots Dzor Provinces; 

Whereas, according to the Armenian Ombudsman, Azerbaijani shelling set fire to a forest in Jermuk, with artillery fire preventing Armenian firefighters from immediate 

access to the blaze; 

Whereas, according to Prime Minister Pashinyan, Azerbaijani 

forces illegally advanced into at least 10 square kilometers of Armenian territory; 

Whereas, on the evening of September 14, 2022, Secretary of 

the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, announced that a ceasefire took hold; 

Whereas Azerbaijan’s latest attack on Armenian territory and 

the Armenian people follows a long pattern of aggression, 

including during the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War, when 

an attack by Azerbaijani forces ignited a conflict that 

killed more than 6,500 people and displaced almost 

100,000 ethnic Armenians; 

Whereas Azerbaijan continues to hold at least 35 prisoners 

of war and 3 civilian prisoners from the Nagorno 

Karabakh War and Azerbaijan’s recent attack on Armenia; 

Whereas Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenia, which was launched 

on September 13, 2022, is a flagrant violation of Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a violation 

of international law; 


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•SRES 797 IS 

Whereas section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act (22 

U.S.C. 5812 note) prohibits United States assistance to 

Azerbaijan ‘‘until the President determines, and so reports to 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 title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2002 

(Public Law 107–115) allows the President to waive section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act under certain 

statutorily defined conditions, including if doing so ‘‘will 

not undermine or hamper ongoing efforts to negotiate a 

peaceful settlement between Armenia or Azerbaijan or be 

used for any offensive purposes against Armenia’’; 

Whereas upon exercising such waiver, the President must 

submit a report to appropriate congressional committees 

outlining— 

(1) ‘‘the nature and quantity of all training and assistance provided to the Government of Azerbaijan pursuant to [the waiver],’’; 

(2) ‘‘the status of the military balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the impact of United States assistance on that balance’’; and 

(3) ‘‘the status of negotiations for a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the impact of 

United States assistance on those negotiations’’; 

Whereas, on March 2, 2022, the Government Accountability 

Office released a report, which found that the Department of State and the Department of Defense failed to 

meet certain statutory reporting requirements to ConVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Sep 27, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR797.IS SR797

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•SRES 797 IS 

gress, including the impact of proposed assistance on the 

military balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia; 

Whereas the Government Accountability Office found that the 

Department of State and the Department of Defense did 

not document their consideration of waiver requirements 

from fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2020, including 

how the departments determined that assistance would 

not be used for offensive purposes against Armenia; and 

Whereas despite agreeing with the Government Accountability Office’s recommendations, the Department of 

State has not demonstrated how it will adequately report 

to Congress on statutorily required considerations for aid 

to Azerbaijan: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) condemns Azerbaijan’s illegal and 

3 unprovoked attack on Armenian territory; 

4 (2) urges Azerbaijan to fully adhere to the 

5 ceasefire agreed to on September 14, 2022; 

6 (3) demands that Azerbaijan respect the terri7 torial integrity of Armenia; 

8 (4) calls for the release of all Armenian pris9 oners of war and civilian prisoners held in Azer10 baijan; 

11 (5) insists that the Department of State meet 

12 all statutorily required reporting requirements for 

13 consideration of United States assistance to Azer14 baijan; 


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1 (6) urges the Secretary of State to immediately 

2 halt all security assistance to Azerbaijan; 

3 (7) urges the President to evaluate whether of4 ficials of the Government of Azerbaijan should be 

5 subject to sanctions under the Global Magnitsky 

6 Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title 

7 XII of Public Law 114–328) for human rights 

8 abuses against ethnic Armenians; and 

9 (8) supports the robust provision of humani10 tarian assistance to the people of Armenia and 

11 Nagorno Karabakh affected by Azerbaijan’s war of 

12 aggression. 

Æ 


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