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Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

Date: June 12, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs

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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Chair, I rise for the purpose of engaging in a colloquy with the chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs on the policy restricting travel and communications of United States Government personnel to Nagorno-Karabakh. Madam Chair, I want to thank Chairwoman Lowey for the opportunity to discuss this important issue.

I had proposed an amendment to Rules that would prevent funds from being used to implement an official ban on U.S. diplomatic efforts with the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, or the Republic of Artsakh, as it is commonly referred to by its citizens.

At present, only a handful of highly specialized U.S. officials connected to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, or OSCE, Minsk Group, are allowed to travel to Nagorno-Karabakh or to engage directly with officials who represent that territory.

Madam Chair, it is far past time that the United States take a more engaged role in the region to finally end this decades-long conflict. We must remain committed to strengthening the ceasefire in Nagorno- Karabakh, removing barriers to dialogue, and resolving status and security issues that have hindered discussions in the past.

Allowing direct, open dialogue and our diplomats to have a presence on the ground, as necessary and when safe, is the only way for the United States to help bring this conflict to a resolution. And, ultimately, it would go a long way towards producing a long-lasting, more democratic future for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Madam Chair, I thank Chairwoman Lowey, who has been very supportive of Armenia and protecting Nagorno-Karabakh for as long as I have known her. We came to Congress the same year. We traveled to Nagorno- Karabakh. She really is a champion of the region. So I thank her for the opportunity to discuss the intent of my amendment and look forward to working with her and her staff to that end.

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