A group of congressmen demand US Secretary of State to facilitate release of Armenian prisoners from Baku

YEREVAN, April 9. /ARKA/. A powerful bipartisan letter by twenty-five members of the US Congressional Armenian Caucus called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Waltz to secure the release of Armenian prisoners illegally held in Azerbaijan and strengthen U.S. policy safeguarding Armenia’s sovereignty and security as part of expanded engagement in the South Caucasus, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“The ANCA welcomes the sustained bipartisan Congressional pushback against Azerbaijani attempts to force unilateral concessions, a deeply flawed and patently false peace, on Armenia at the point of a gun,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.

“Shoulder to shoulder with our Congressional allies and coalition partners, we hold that any dialogue toward a durable and just peace must provide for the collective and protected return of Armenians to Artsakh, ensure the removal of all Azerbaijani forces from Armenian territory, maintain international monitoring on Armenia’s borders, secure Azerbaijan’s release of Armenian hostages, protect Artsakh’s Armenian Christian heritage, resist Azerbaijani attempts to force Armenian constitutional changes, and defend Syunik as an integral part of sovereign Armenia.”

In their letter, the lawmakers emphasized the need for immediate and concrete U.S. engagement to prevent backsliding in the peace process and to push for the release of Armenian captives.

“We also strongly agree with Secretary Rubio’s statement that ‘now is the time to commit to peace’ in the South Caucasus and NSA Waltz’s call to ‘finalize this peace deal now, release the prisoners, and work together to make the region more secure and prosperous,’” wrote the Representatives, underscoring the urgency of U.S.-led confidence-building measures.

They further emphasized Armenia’s geopolitical shift and the critical role of the U.S. in ensuring regional stability: “Securing a lasting peace in the South Caucasus is a national security imperative and directly in line with President Trump’s global peace initiatives. Considering Azerbaijan’s ongoing threats toward Armenia… the United States has a responsibility to pursue important confidence and security-building measures.”-0-