WASHINGTON, DC. – Members of the US Congress continue to express alarm at Azerbaijan's most recent military attack across the Armenian border, which have made Armenian soldier Hrant Poghosyan Azerbaijan’s latest casualty, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.
In a statement issued, Congressman Jim Costa noted that he was “appalled to learn of yet another murder of an Armenian soldier in an unprovoked attack by Azerbaijani troops against Armenian forces.
“This tragic bloodshed follows the Azerbaijani government’s heroic treatment of Ramil Safarov – the Azerbaijani military officer who savagely killed an Armenian solider. Azerbaijan, its military, and the perpetrator of this heinous crime must be held accountable for their actions and brought to justice,” Congressman Costa said.
Costa’s comments follow statements issued earlier by Congressmen Adam Schiff and Brad Sherman condemning the attack.
Rep. Schiff echoed those concerns and called attention to Azerbaijan's ongoing use of violence to resolve the Karabakh conflict. “One need only look at the sick display of adulation that greeted Ramil Safarov -- the Azerbaijani military officer who beheaded an Armenian colleague during a NATO Partnership for Peace exercise -- to see how the Azeri government has glorified this violence. Rather than prison, Safarov was paraded through the streets and given a new house and a promotion. Baku’s newest murderer will not be brought to justice until the international community insists on an end to these atrocities,” Schiff stated.
“Azerbaijan has yet again shown that it is not serious about establishing peaceful relations with Armenia and Artsakh [i.e., Nagorno-Karabakh]. Despite the request for a ceasefire during the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azeri forces have killed an Armenian solider, Hrant Poghosyan. The shooting was unprovoked and Armenian forces have respected the request for a ceasefire,” explained Rep. Brad Sherman
As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, Hrant Poghosyan died, on December 15 at around 5pm, at the defensive positions of Movses village nearby the City of Berd in Armenia. Poghosyan was a resident of Berd, he was 26 years old, married, and he had one child.
