Letter to Mike Pompeo, Secretary of State, and Mark Esper, Secretary of Defense - Pallone Leads Bipartisan Group in Denouncing Reckless Azerbaijani Military Exercises

Letter

Dear Secretaries Pompeo and Esper:

We are gravely concerned about the military exercises reported to be held by the Republic of
Azerbaijan from May 18 to 22, 2020. These exercises are dangerous, violate diplomatic
agreements and have the potential to destabilize security in the South Caucasus at a time when
the COVID-19 global pandemic has taken hundreds of thousands of lives and threatened the
health of many more. We strongly urge the Department of State and the Department of Defense
to condemn these egregious actions taken by the Azerbaijani military.

Even in normal circumstances, these exercises would be unacceptable due to their offensive
nature and the failure to follow diplomatic notification practices. On May 14, the Azerbaijani
Defense Ministry released information describing military exercises that would take place from
May 18 to 22. Azeri reports state that the exercises are expected to include 10,000 servicemen,
120 artillery and armored vehicles, 200 missile systems, 30 aviation units, and various unmanned
aerial vehicles. The failure to provide adequate notification as prescribed under the OSCE
sponsored 2011 Vienna Document and the size of the exercises demonstrates Azerbaijani
President Aliyev's intention of further aggravating historical tensions with the Republic of
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

We are especially concerned that over $100 million in security assistance the United States has
sent to Azerbaijan over the last two years through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity
program has emboldened the Aliyev regime. This taxpayer funding defies almost two decades of
parity in U.S. security assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan. The aid appears to have allowed
Azerbaijan to shift resources toward offensive capabilities and further threaten Armenian lives
and regional stability as the Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues warned
in letters sent to you in September and November of 2019.

We cannot allow Azerbaijan to use the global coronavirus pandemic as cover for these dangerous
military operations. We urge you to immediately condemn the reckless actions of the Azerbaijani
military and to work with our allies and international partners to halt the provocative actions
being taken by the Aliyev Regime.

We look forward to your prompt reply to this request.

Sincerely,