U.S. Congressman sowing discord in fertile atmosphere for Peace

24 September 2024 20:05 (UTC+04:00)

Fatima Latifova

On September 24, in New York, the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, considered one of the largest diplomatic events in the world, bringing together leaders of participating countries, began. This session, which will continue until September 30, will be opened by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and chaired by Filémon Yang from Cameroon.

As per tradition, the main theme of the UN General Assembly session, held annually since 1955, is: "Leaving No One Behind."

In this event, which prioritises peace issues, Azerbaijan, a country that is advancing in contributing to the topic, naturally participates, represented by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

This meeting, currently under the focus of all world nations, also holds the potential to significantly contribute to the peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. One of the countries making efforts to mediate in the stalled negotiations between the two nations is the United States. However, as in previous years and months, biassed and insulting statements against Azerbaijan are again being voiced in the U.S. Congress.

For a long time, U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff, who has been working to satisfy the Armenian lobby, has launched yet another move. In June, Schiff and a bipartisan group of 47 of his colleagues sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, calling on the U.S. to "prioritize the protection of Armenian heritage at risk in "Nagorno-Karabakh" in all future diplomatic contacts with Azerbaijani officials.

It is important to recall that Garabagh, a region of Azerbaijan, was occupied for 30 years by Armenia, a puppet regime created during Soviet rule. As a result, the Azerbaijani population was forcibly expelled from their native homes, nearly 4,000 Azerbaijanis remain missing, and 1 million Azerbaijanis were displaced, leaving behind destroyed monuments in Garabagh.

ANAMA’s ongoing demining operations in Garabagh continue to reveal Armenia’s inhumane and vandalistic actions.

Yet, disregarding all these facts, the U.S. congressman is making extensive efforts to defend the rights of Armenians who were later settled in Azerbaijan’s territories and were offered Azerbaijani citizenship following anti-terror operations; otherwise, as they refused, were safely transferred to Armenia.

This time, Schiff has introduced a resolution in Congress alleging "aggression" by Azerbaijan against Garabagh, claiming that Baku is committing a humanitarian disaster and ethnic cleansing against the so-called Artsakh people. He has even demanded the creation of a "Fund for the Restoration of Artsakh Revenues," suggesting that Azerbaijan’s seized assets should be allocated to Armenians in "Artsakh" who lost their businesses as a result of "military aggression."

Adam Schiff’s anti-Azerbaijani stance is nothing new. After the 44-day Patriotic War, Schiff was one of those who campaigned in the U.S. Congress for the release of Armenian war criminals detained in Azerbaijan, even demanding that the U.S. government ensure their return to Armenia.

Given these facts, U.S. government mediation aspirations seem doomed to fail. Washington’s goal is to indirectly interfere in Caucasus affairs and establish its influence in the region by acting as a decisive mediator between Azerbaijan and Armenia. However, the ease with which biassed and hypocritical individuals, bought by the Armenian lobby, pursue anti-Azerbaijani policies in the U.S. Congress naturally diminishes Azerbaijan’s trust in this country.

The U.S. congressmen have repeatedly demonstrated their pro-Armenian stance, and, as a result, they undermined the US role as a mediator between Baku and Yerevan. Now, at a time when the 79th session of the UN General Assembly, one of the world’s largest diplomatic events, has begun, when there is an opportunity to be a trusted mediator in talks between the parties, and when a fertile atmosphere for peace exists, it is regrettable that echoes of a so-called state are emerging from the U.S. Congress. Going forward, Washington’s desire to participate in the negotiations will once again be on the agenda. However, the baseless accusations of biassed and pro-Armenian congressmen of the USA against Azerbaijan will leave an indelible mark in the political history of the USA.