Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a member of the Armed Services Committee, has emphasized the urgent need for the United States to take greater measures to protect Armenian lives and prevent ethnic cleansing. Peters recently visited Armenia and was deeply troubled by the dire humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In his statement, Senator Peters stressed that his visit to Armenia confirmed that the US must do more to protect Armenian lives and prevent ethnic cleansing. Increased aid to the Armenian people is critical, and the US must stop providing aid to Azerbaijan and introduce targeted sanctions against the Aliyev regime. Organizations providing humanitarian aid should be allowed into the region, and international observers should be sent to Nagorno-Karabakh to observe what is happening on the ground. Peters added that he will continue to support and protect the Armenian people and Michigan’s strong Armenian community.
During his visit to Armenia, Senator Peters held discussions with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, Vice Speaker of the National Assembly Ruben Rubenyan, parliamentary leaders from the opposition, US Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien, Governor of Syunik Robert Ghukasyan, representatives of the EU mission to Armenia, and forced migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh.
Last week, Senator Peters delivered a speech in the Senate condemning the military aggression and violence perpetrated by the Azerbaijani government against Armenians. He called on the United States to provide support to the Armenian people. Additionally, Senator Peters co-sponsored a bipartisan Senate bill aimed at providing humanitarian assistance to Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, halting further US security aid to the Azerbaijani government, authorizing foreign military funding for Armenia, developing a strategy to ensure the security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, and imposing sanctions on the Aliyev regime for its actions against Armenians.
