{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-after-nagorno-karabakh-bombing-peters-condemns-azerbaijan-for-continued-military-aggression-violence-toward-armenian-people", "VIDEO: After Nagorno-Karabakh Bombing, Peters Condemns Azerbaijan for Continued Military Aggression, Violence Toward Armenian People", "2023-09-21", "2023", "2023-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "MI", "Gary C. Peters", "P000595", "www.peters.senate.gov", "garypeters", "https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2013 In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) condemned the Azerbaijani government\u2019s military aggression and violence toward the Armenian people, which this week led to the killing of dozens of Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. During his speech, Peters called on his Senate colleagues and the Biden Administration to stand in solidarity with the Armenian people as they face a humanitarian crisis and existential threat from Azerbaijan.\n\n\u201cThe Azerbaijani government has made it clear, their goal is to erase the historic presence of Armenians in this region,\u201d said Senator Peters. \u201cIf we continue to let this crisis devolve, then we are complicit in the violence. I call on my Senate colleagues and the Biden Administration to stand against the cruelty of the Azerbaijani government \u2013 and stand beside the Armenian people.\u201d\n\nTo watch Senator Peters\u2019 speech on the Senate floor, click here.\n\nPeters previously raised concerns to the Biden Administration regarding the deployment of U.S. security assistance to Azerbaijan in a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in March 2023. In March, Peters also met with members of Michigan\u2019s Armenian community to listen to their concerns and recommit to holding Azerbaijan accountable.\n\nBelow is the text of Peters\u2019 remarks as prepared for delivery.\n\n\u201cIn the mountains of Nagorno-Karabakh \u2013 a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Azerbaijan\u2019s blockade of the Lachin corridor has left over 100,000 ethnic Armenians cut off from the world \u2013 deprived of the food, the water, fuel, and medical care they need to survive.\n\n\u201cLast week, one resident made a plea. She asked: \u2018How many more people will have to die before the world takes notice?\u2019\n\n\u201cToday, that question carries new meaning \u2013 as the Armenian people not only confront dwindling resources but heavy bombardment. On September 19th, Azerbaijan violated the fragile peace and began bombing Nagorno-Karabakh.\n\n\u201cWhile a ceasefire was announced this morning, we cannot ignore the violence and we must stand with the citizens of Nagorno-Karabakh.\n\n\u201cThis conflict systematically targets the Armenian people. It\u2019s cruel, it\u2019s calculated, and it\u2019s inhumane \u2013 further demonstrating that the Armenian people are facing an existential threat. Experts from the International Criminal Court say there is reason to believe it amounts to an act of genocide. That word would always sound an alarm \u2013 but it carries a particular weight with the Armenian people \u2013 and evokes a devastating chapter of their history.\n\n\u201cThe government of Azerbaijan has orchestrated a humanitarian disaster \u2013 only to further their political and their territorial claims.\n\n\u201cThe blockade of the Lachin corridor has kept essential supplies out of the region since June. Pregnant women are being forced to walk miles to a medical clinic. Fuel shortages have shut down schools and sidelined emergency vehicles. People get sick from untreated water, and then visit pharmacies with empty shelves.\n\n\u201cFood shortages run rampant. Officials in Nagorno-Karabakh estimate that 95 percent of residents are suffering from malnutrition. Starving citizens are lining up for bread in the streets \u2013 and wondering how they\u2019ll find their family\u2019s next meal. The use of military force by Azerbaijan will only further endanger citizens who have already endured so much.\n\n\u201cThe Biden Administration has provided some crucial assistance, and the Azerbaijani government has announced a theoretical agreement to open the Lachin corridor once again.\n\n\u201cBut that deal has yet to bring the Armenian people out of harm\u2019s way. The bombardment began after it was reached \u2013 and this increasing military aggression has only deepened the humanitarian crisis.\n\n\u201cThe Aliyev regime has now demanded that Nagorno-Karabakh\u2019s government be dissolved and that ethnic Armenian troops be removed. The Azerbaijani government has made it clear \u2013 their goal is to erase the historic presence of Armenians in this region.\n\n\u201cUntil it is proven that this cruel campaign has ended, we must be vigilant. Until the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have what they need to survive and to walk freely in their home once again \u2013 we cannot stand to the side.\n\n\u201cIn the midst of these unthinkable conditions, residents have taken to the streets, calling for an end to the blockade. We must join their chorus \u2013 shedding a light on Azerbaijan\u2019s actions and addressing the immediate threat of ethnic violence. And I encourage the Biden Administration to remember these crimes against humanity when considering where to send aid and to apply diplomatic pressure.\n\n\u201cIf we continue to let this crisis devolve, then we are complicit in the violence. I call on my Senate colleagues and the Biden Administration to stand against the cruelty of the Azerbaijani government \u2013 and stand beside the Armenian people.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.peters.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video-after-nagorno-karabakh-bombing-peters-condemns-azerbaijan-for-continued-military-aggression-violence-toward-armenian-people"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6073551960289478, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}