[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 71 (Wednesday, May 19, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3379-H3380]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ARMENIA-AZERBAIJAN MILITARY DISPARITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.

[[Page H3380]]

  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to address recent reports 
that I believe signal a conflict in Azeri President Ilham Aliyev's 
interest in promoting a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabagh 
conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
  I am particularly troubled by reports from the BBC last week that 
President Aliyev said that, while he would continue to try to resolve 
the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict by peaceful means, the Azeri army is able 
at any moment to free what he called ``our territory.'' The article 
continues that President Aliyev stated, ``We have every right to do 
that, to restore our territorial integrity.''
  Such statements, Mr. Speaker, are unsettling and send a message to 
Armenia as well as to all those involved in working towards a peaceful 
resolution to the conflict that Azerbaijan is prepared to undertake a 
military approach to addressing the conflict should recommendations by 
the Minsk Group not agree with Azerbaijan's position. In fact, such 
statements, I believe, Mr. Speaker, send the wrong message to the Minsk 
Group and undermine ongoing efforts regarding stabilization of the 
South Caucasus region.
  Ten years after a mutually signed cease-fire in the region and 3 
years after President Kocharian and former President Aliyev came 
together at Key West, current Azeri President Aliyev has warned that if 
no concrete issues remain on the agenda regarding a peaceful resolution 
to Nagorno-Karabagh, then it is ``not right to continue and imitate 
negotiations.'' President Aliyev's actions and statements do not signal 
a willingness to negotiate and, in fact, I think they illustrate the 
opposite. If there is any chance that the parties can move in the 
direction of a peaceful resolution, President Aliyev must show that he 
is willing to consider options developed by the Minsk Group without 
threatening military actions.
  In this regard, I would like to highlight from the BBC article that 
Mr. Aliyev added that the Azeri government's expenditure on 
Azerbaijan's military was increasing each year and ``it will keep 
increasing in the future.'' I am discouraged by this, Mr. Speaker, and 
I would like to address this issue in light of the U.S.'s role in 
providing military assistance in the region.
  I strongly believe we must do everything in our power here in 
Congress to signal that we will not support the use of military force 
to address this conflict. Specifically, I call upon Congress and 
congressional appropriators to restore the military aid parity between 
Armenia and Azerbaijan.
  Earlier this year, President Bush's budget proposed including unequal 
military aid spending to Armenia and Azerbaijan. This request was 
contrary to a policy agreement between the Congress and the 
administration that there would be military parity between the two 
countries. While the administration believes that the unequal funding 
will not destroy the balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia, I point to 
President Aliyev's recent statements and question the Bush 
administration's recent assurances to Congress before the other 
Chamber's Foreign Relations Committee.
  I would like to point out that waiver language included in section 
907 of the Freedom Support Act specifically states that any assistance 
to Azerbaijan should not be used to undermine or hamper the Karabakh 
peace process or be used for offensive purposes against Armenia or the 
Armenian communities in the South Caucasus. President Aliyev's comments 
regarding current and future increases in Azerbaijan's military funding 
do not put me at ease that funding from the U.S. either directly or 
indirectly will not be used to unleash a military campaign against the 
people of Nagorno-Karabagh.
  Amid rising tension and animosity in the region, it is more important 
today than ever for the United States to be sure that no signal is sent 
suggesting that one side is being provided a military advantage over 
the other. Our strength in fostering a diplomatic and peaceful solution 
is our balanced approach to and for each nation of the South Caucasus. 
At this time the U.S. should not be providing resources to Azerbaijan 
that can in any measure be turned into military efforts against Armenia 
to reclaim Nagorno-Karabagh.
  Parity in this regard will help to restore a sense of stability in 
the region and hopefully add to the U.S.'s evenhandedness in its 
presence and support for the establishment of a peaceful resolution to 
the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.

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