According to Trump, “external threats can be dealt with if you have a competent president,” but fighting internal “madmen like Adam Schiff” is far more challenging.
Let’s recall that this is the same Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff who recently introduced a bill to seize Azerbaijani assets to create a “Fund for the Recovery of Artsakh’s Revenues.” He proposes using these funds to “compensate” Armenians in Karabakh. This proposal is a blatant copy of the idea to seize Russian assets and use them to aid Ukraine. However, there’s one small difference: Ukraine is a victim of aggression, while in Karabakh, Armenia was and remains the aggressor, with constitutional claims on Azerbaijani territories.
The chances of this bill being passed, especially in light of the upcoming elections, is a separate topic. Recently, the co-author of this bill, another Armenian lobbyist in the U.S. Congress, Frank Pallone, made a statement intended to sound boastful: “I am glad that our strong bipartisan bill has caught the attention of the president of Azerbaijan, despite the fact that he held an event where his troops committed mass ethnic cleansing last year.” Pallone also stated that Azerbaijan “should not be allowed to use COP29 to rebrand its reputation.” However, in practice, boasting about “getting attention” occurs when there is little else to boast about.
Moreover, Mr. Pallone should take note that ethnic cleansing took place in Armenia in 1988-1989, and in Karabakh from 1988 to 1993, both orchestrated by the Armenian leadership, with the victims primarily being Azerbaijanis (along with Muslim Kurds, Russians, Jews, etc.). But individuals like Pallone, whose primary objective is to justify the “donations” from the Armenian lobby, care little for the truth. As Donald Trump reminds us, it’s now clear that even U.S. interests are not their top priority.
Let’s be realistic: Washington desperately needs a solid position in Azerbaijan today. This includes Europe’s energy security, the “geopolitical shift” in the region once known as Central Asia, which Turkey today calls Turkestan, and where the old security and logistics system focused on Russia is collapsing. The only western route into the region, not controlled by either Russia or Iran, passes through Azerbaijan. There is also growing tension around Iran and the new “Cold War” with Russia. While Azerbaijan has never participated in geopolitical games against neighboring countries, diplomacy and foreign policy are the art of nuance.
As a result of the Armenian lobby’s activities, U.S. positions in Azerbaijan are now hanging by a thread. In response to Schiff’s provocations, Azerbaijani MPs have already called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to terminate existing agreements between Azerbaijan and the U.S., including the Joint Statement “On Future Military and Defense Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the U.S.” signed in 1997, and the Agreement “On the Acquisition of Equipment and Mutual Services between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Department of Defense of the U.S.” signed in 2013. They have also called to halt negotiations on new agreements, discontinue USAID projects, and end the activities of American NGOs and USAID in Azerbaijan. While these moves, like Schiff’s bill, are still under consideration, it gives Washington plenty to think about.
Furthermore, as noted by Minval, despite all the talk of separation of powers, the U.S. executive branch has plenty of ways to at least distance itself from the Armenian lobby’s activities. However, given the scandalous meeting on April 5 in Brussels, the questionable statements by State Department officials responsible for the region, and the “exhumation” of Section 907, distancing itself will be very difficult.
What is even more frustrating is that it appears the Biden administration has not even managed to secure the support of the Armenian lobby. They clearly want more. Just last week, the well-known Vivek Ramaswamy accused the Biden administration of “funding ethnic cleansing in Karabakh.” The Armenian lobby is not satisfied with the mere “exhumation” of Section 907—they want a complete cessation of military cooperation between the U.S. and Azerbaijan. How this aligns with U.S. interests is a question even schoolchildren could answer.
At this point, it’s hard not to point out that, for example, in Lebanon, the local branch of “Dashnaktsutyun” operates in close alliance with pro-Iranian Hezbollah, and since the 1970s, Dashnaktsutyun’s structures have worked under full control of Soviet intelligence. Let’s not forget that another Armenian lobbyist, former Secretary of State John Kerry, was implicated in leaking sensitive information to Iran—something revealed by former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
In this light, it becomes clear: Adam Schiff is not the only domestic threat to the U.S. The Armenian lobby itself is a significant threat, and it’s time to clarify whose interests it truly serves.
Nurani
Translated from minval.az
