Issa Letter to President Trump Raises 'Serious Concerns' of Armenia Invasion by Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON – Congressman Darrell Issa (CA-48), Vice Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has written a letter to President Donald Trump raising 'serious concerns' that recent statements by Azerbaijan’s President may be a preface to a further invasion of Armenia.

In the letter, Rep. Issa stated: "I am deeply concerned by these statements at a time when your administration has clearly made it the policy of the United States to seek peace in the world. As your administration develops a robust Caucasus policy, in the interim, the United States should deter additional actions by Azerbaijan against Armenia by making clear that we are willing to use a wide array of instruments, including sanctions."

A member of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Rep. Issa previously sent questions directly to the Biden Administration regarding serious policy lapses that led to instability and violence in the region. Specifically, Rep. Issa asked the Biden State Department: "Given the despotic nature of the Aliyev regime, what is the Administration doing to ensure Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh have a right to return to their homes and live safely and freely without fear, oppression, and human rights violations by the government of Azerbaijan?"

In the letter to President Trump, Rep. Issa added: "Unfortunately, the State Department under the Biden-Harris Administration was effectively pushing Armenia to make further concessions to meet Azerbaijan’s growing list of preconditions for signing a peace treaty. Armenia and its people have suffered significantly at the hands of Azerbaijan, with some of Armenia’s internationally recognized territory under Azerbaijan’s occupation and 120,000 Armenians being forced to leave their ancestral homes in Nagorno-Karabakh and elsewhere. Armenia should not be expected to make any further concessions."

The text of the Issa letter to President Trump can be found here.

Darrell Issa is the Representative of California’s 48th Congressional District, which encompasses the central and eastern parts of San Diego County and a portion of Riverside County, including the communities of Fallbrook, Valley Center, Ramona, Escondido, Santee, Lakeside, Poway, Temecula, Murrieta, and the mountain and desert areas of the San Diego-Imperial County line. Issa served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform from 2011-2015.

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