US congressmen called on the State Department to use all diplomatic tools at their disposal to stop the belligerent actions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and bring him back to the negotiating table within the OSCE Minsk Group peace process, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reported.

Co-Chairs of the US Congressional Panel on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Gus M. Bilirakis (FL-12), Jackie Speier (CA-14), David G. Valadao (CA-21), and Adam B. Schiff (CA-28) issued the following statement after reports of increasing Azerbaijani military escalation in Artsakh:

“We condemn the recent actions taken by Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan’s troop movements into Artsakh land, their use of drones, and the weaponization of one of the major sources of natural gas for civilians in the territory clearly violate the 2020 ceasefire and threaten innocent lives. The United States must not turn a blind eye to this clear pattern of dangerous actions, and we must do everything in our power to ensure peace and stability in the region. We urge the State Department to use every diplomatic tool at their disposal to halt President Aliyev’s belligerent actions and bring him back to the negotiating table through the OSCE Minsk Group peace process”.