ANCA welcomes U.S. Congressman Berman’s call against weaponry sale to Azerbaijan

May 30, 2012 - 13:39 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has welcomed efforts by House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Democrat Howard Berman (D-CA) to pressure Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to stop a proposed sale of military hardware to Azerbaijan, citing that country's continued war rhetoric and attacks against neighboring Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

In a May 29 letter to Secretary Clinton, Rep. Berman referenced announcements of a sale of military hardware which would be used in conjunction with Azerbaijan's military helicopter fleet for "border surveillance and 'police-type' activities." In addition to possible attacks against Armenia, Rep. Berman expressed concern about the "message that such a sale would send to the regional parties, both in terms of perceived U.S. even-handedness and in terms of our seriousness about persuading Baku to cease its bellicose rhetoric and agree to Minsk Group co-chair demands that it remove its snipers from the 'line of contact' in the Nagorno-Karabakh region."