A total of 101 members of the US Congress have signed a letter calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to suspend American military assistance to Azerbaijan. This is reported from the text of the letter published by the members of Congress.
"We call for halting the provision of US military assistance until Azerbaijan takes practical steps toward releasing Armenian prisoners, protecting Armenian cultural heritage from further destruction, and withdrawing its troops from Armenia's sovereign territory," the letter says.
The letter outlines three main demands that Azerbaijan must fulfill: the release of Armenian prisoners, the protection of Armenian cultural heritage, and the withdrawal of troops from Armenia's sovereign territory. These demands are presented as preconditions for suspending military assistance.
The congressmen have addressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging him to review military support to Azerbaijan. The letter was signed by 101 congressmen, indicating bipartisan support.
This letter signed by 101 members of the US Congress shows that the issue of military support to Azerbaijan remains a subject of serious political discussion in Washington. Notably, the demands are formulated as preconditions, linking military aid to concrete actions rather than leaving them as general appeals. This means there is a readiness in Congress to use financial leverage as a foreign policy tool.
The authors of the letter apparently take into account that relations with Azerbaijan are important for regional security, but believe that without concrete steps, military support becomes one-sided. The demands for the release of Armenian prisoners, protection of cultural heritage, and withdrawal of troops have long been voiced from various international platforms, but their fulfillment remains uncertain to this day.
The next step depends on the State Department's response. If Rubio does not respond, it is likely that legislative initiatives aimed at blocking military assistance will emerge in Congress. On the other hand, Azerbaijan has not yet stated its position on this letter, which could indicate either a restrained response or an expectation of further negotiations.
