The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) today called upon the Department of State to look into whether video of the wreckage of an Azerbaijani unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which shows a component built by NovAtel, a Canadian firm with offices in the United States, warrants an investigation into potential violations of U.S. arms export laws.

The UAV was reportedly shot down by Nagorno-Karabakh defense forces on September 12th, after it crossed into the Republic’s airspace.

In his letter addressed to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, ANCA chairman Ken Hachikian stressed that the Armenian community is troubled by the prospect that Azerbaijan’s aggression “may be, directly or indirectly, fueled by U.S. defense articles, in violation of U.S. law”.

It is contrary to the American people’s commitment to a peaceful settlement of conflicts in the Caucasus and around the world, he added.

In his letter Hachikian says that the name and logo of the firm Novatel is clearly visible on a piece of the downed UAV. This firm, which is based in Canada, has an office in the United States, located in Houston, Texas.