ANCA: As long as Azerbaijan holds Armenian hostages, occupies  sovereign Armenian territory, there is no justification for military  assistance to Aliyev regime 

ArmInfo. The U.S. House Appropriations Committee has advanced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations Bill with report language directing increased security  assistance for Armenia and requiring State Department reporting on  the proposed Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity  (TRIPP) - a direct response to advocacy led by the Armenian National  Committee of America (ANCA) and the Congressional Armenian Caucus.  

"The Committee's action is a meaningful step forward - driven by the  grassroots advocacy of Armenian Americans across the country and  championed by Congressional Armenian Caucus Founding Co-Chair Frank  Pallone and nearly fifty of his House colleagues," stated ANCA  Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "But our work is far from done. As  long as Azerbaijan holds Armenian hostages, occupies sovereign  Armenian territory, blocks the right of return for the Armenians it  ethnically cleansed from Artsakh, and threatens further aggression -  there is no justification, none, for a single American taxpayer  dollar in military assistance to the Aliyev regime. Congress must  finish what this Committee has started:  suspend U.S. military aid to  Azerbaijan, deliver real humanitarian relief for the Armenians  forcibly displaced from Artsakh, and ensure rigorous oversight of any  corridor framework that touches Armenian sovereign territory." 

The Committee's action comes in response to the ANCA-backed  Congressional Armenian Caucus Foreign Aid Letter, co-signed by over  45 U.S. Representatives and led by Caucus Founding Co-Chair Frank  Pallone (D-NJ). That letter called on the Subcommittee to include $20  million in FMF and $10 million in IMET for Armenia, $100 million in  humanitarian assistance for Armenians forcibly displaced from  Artsakh, a full prohibition on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan,  Global Magnitsky Act sanctions accountability measures, and  meaningful Congressional oversight of the TRIPP framework.

Rep. Pallone hailed the Committee's action while pressing for further  measures. "I'm proud to have helped secure increased security  assistance for Armenia in the State Department's proposed  appropriations for Fiscal Year 2027," stated Rep. Pallone. "I thank  the almost 50 colleagues from the Congressional Caucus on Armenian  Issues who joined me in a letter calling for greater investment in  U.S.-Armenian cooperation and partnership. But I remain disappointed  that the bill does not include additional funding for humanitarian  aid for Nagorno-Karabakh's tragically displaced populace nor  additional restrictions on Azerbaijan's destabilizing behavior. I  look forward to working with my colleagues to further address these  issues, and to continue building a fruitful relationship with the   Republic of Armenia." 

Increased Security Assistance for Armenia 

The Committee report directs that IMET and FMF funds "be made  available above the prior year levels for Armenia," reflecting the  Caucus letter's warning that additional assistance "would play a  critical role in strengthening Armenia's defensive capabilities and  establishing a deterrent against Azerbaijan's unabated expansionism  and threats of aggression and use of force." The Caucus had cautioned  that "the Aliyev regime will seek to take advantage of Russia's  ongoing war in Ukraine and turmoil across the Middle East to press  its military advantage against Armenia during this critical stage in  negotiations."

TRIPP Oversight 

The Committee report directs the Secretary of State to submit, within  90 days of enactment, a report to the appropriate congressional  committees on "funding amounts for, and actions taken and authorities  used to implement, the proposed Trump Route for International Peace  and Prosperity (TRIPP)." The report is to "identify implementing  partners, including any providing investment finance, and describe  the current or anticipated role of other relevant Federal agencies,  such as DFC and the Trade and Development Agency, to help implement  construction, development, and secure the successful operation of  such corridor."

  The reporting requirement responds directly to concerns raised in the  Congressional Armenian Caucus letter, which flagged that the TRIPP  framework "raises concerns regarding Armenia's sovereignty and  ownership rights over its sovereign territory" and identified  "unanswered questions regarding the security of the route, especially  assurances that the route will not be used to facilitate military  transportation or arms sales between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which  would undermine Armenia's security interests." The Caucus also  expressed concern over "Azerbaijan's solicitation of foreign  investment to engage in the demolition, reconstruction and  redevelopment of formerly Armenian-populated areas."

  Unfinished Business: Azerbaijan Accountability and Artsakh   Humanitarian Relief 

The Committee report does not include the Caucus-requested $100  million in AEECA humanitarian funding for Armenians forcibly  displaced from Artsakh, the full prohibition on U.S. military aid to  Azerbaijan, or the Global Magnitsky sanctions review the letter  called for. The ANCA is mobilizing Armenian Americans to press these  priorities as the bill moves through the legislative process -  pointing to the Caucus letter's documentation that Azerbaijan's 2023  invasion produced "the genocidal ethnic cleansing of the region's  entire indigenous Armenian population" following "a 10-month siege on  the region, which saw Azerbaijan deliberately deprive over 120,000  ethnic Armenians access to food, fuel, medicine and other essential  goods," and that Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian hostages  sentenced "following lengthy sham trials, during which Armenian  detainees were subject to abuse and torture, and deprived of their  fundamental legal rights."