•HRES 108 IH 
peacefully, conducted a large-scale, unprovoked invasion 
of the Republic of Artsakh in October 2020; 
Whereas President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan has used vitri-
olic rhetoric to call for the ethnic cleansing of indigenous 
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and his regime has con-
sistently violated important international humanitarian 
legal agreements during the 2020 war and up until the 
present date, including the Universal Declaration of 
Human Rights, the United Nations Charter, and the Ge-
neva Conventions; 
Whereas evidence of Azerbaijani violations of international 
humanitarian law during the 2020 war are well-docu-
mented by reputable nongovernmental organizations such 
as Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of 
Human Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights 
Watch, and the International Committee of the Red 
Cross; 
Whereas mass human rights violations committed by Azer-
baijani forces in the 2020 war included rocket strikes on 
civilian infrastructure like medical facilities and schools, 
the decapitation of civilians, the use of white phosphorus 
munitions, the torture and extrajudicial killing of Arme-
nian prisoners of war, the hiring of foreign mercenaries, 
and the targeting of historic monuments, works of art, 
and places of worship with great cultural and spiritual 
significance to Armenians; 
Whereas the November 9, 2020, cease-fire statement ending 
the 2020 war signed by Azerbaijan clearly states in Arti-
cle 6 that, ‘‘The Lachin Corridor (5 km wide), which will 
provide a connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Ar-
menia while not passing through the territory of Shusha, 
shall remain under the control of the Russian Federation 
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•HRES 108 IH 
peacemaking forces. . .The Republic of Azerbaijan shall 
guarantee the security of persons, vehicles and cargo 
moving along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.’’; 
Whereas, on December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan created a man- 
made humanitarian crisis by implementing an extended 
blockade of the Lachin Corridor under the guise of a ci-
vilian protest; 
Whereas the Lachin Corridor serves as a vital lifeline con-
necting the Republic of Artsakh to the Republic of Arme-
nia and its blockade prevents food, critical medical sup-
plies, and other essentials from reaching 120,000 people; 
Whereas Azerbaijan has taken dangerous, escalatory steps 
that have severely worsened the quality of life for the 
people living in Artsakh, including 30,000 children, 
20,000 elderly individuals, and 9,000 people with disabil-
ities, through the sabotage of civilian infrastructure such 
as a critical natural gas pipeline, power transmission 
lines, and fixed-line internet; 
Whereas the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in the re-
gion have not lived up to their role as defined by the No-
vember 9, 2020, statement, doing little to disperse 
Azerbaijanis blocking the Lachin Corridor, deescalate the 
situation, or prevent other Azerbaijani aggressions 
against the Armenian population in Artsakh; 
Whereas the Department of State has warned the ‘‘Closure 
of the Lachin Corridor has severe humanitarian implica-
tions and sets back the peace process’’, and publicly 
called ‘‘on the Government of Azerbaijan to restore free 
movement through the corridor’’; 
Whereas the Department of State reported that Secretary of 
State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan’s Presi-
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dent Ilham Aliyev on January 23, 2023, ‘‘to urge an im-
mediate reopening of the Lachin corridor to commercial 
traffic. He underscored that the risk of a humanitarian 
crisis in the Lachin corridor undermined prospects for 
peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.’’; 
Whereas the United States serves as a Co-Chair of the Orga-
nization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk 
Group, along with France and Russia, and is committed 
to sustainable, long-term peace in the region; and 
Whereas the United States has not been able to undertake 
any direct humanitarian support or relief efforts to ad-
dress the needs of Armenian victims in Artsakh since the 
deadly invasion by Azerbaijani forces in October 2020: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns Azerbaijan’s blockade of the 
Lachin Corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh); 
(2) encourages the United States Government 
and international community to petition the United 
Nations Security Council, the Organization for Secu-
rity and Co-operation in Europe, and other appro-
priate international bodies to investigate any and all 
war crimes committed by Azerbaijani forces; 
(3) calls on the United States Government to 
work swiftly with international partners, including 
authorities in Artsakh, regarding the deployment of 
international observers to the Lachin Corridor and 
Artsakh to explore opportunities for more effective 
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and sustainable guarantees of security and peaceful 
development. 
(4) calls on the President to immediately sus-
pend any new, current, or pending military or secu-
rity assistance from the United States to Azerbaijan, 
and to fully enforce section 907 of the FREEDOM 
Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5812 note); 
(5) supports United States sanctions under ex-
isting statutory authority against Azerbaijani offi-
cials responsible for the blockade of Nagorno- 
Karabakh and other well-documented human rights 
violations committed against Armenians in the re-
gion such as the targeting of civilian infrastructure 
and the destruction of historic, cultural, and places 
of worship of great significance to Armenians; and 
(6) supports a robust program of sustained 
United States humanitarian and development assist-
ance to the Armenian victims of Azerbaijani aggres-
sion in Nagorno-Karabakh. 
Æ 
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