The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) wishes to wholeheartedly thank the Congressional Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission—especially its Co-Chairs, Congressman Chris Smith and Congressman Jim McGovern—for holding an emergency hearing in the US House of Representatives on September 6, 2023, to shed light on the devastating humanitarian crisis unfolding in Artsakh.

NDA had been in contact with the Commission throughout the past few months, an effort that had also contributed to the June 21, 2023 hearing on Artsakh by the Commission. We also wish to thank the panelists—Luis Moreno Ocampo, Former Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (2003-2012), and David L. Phillips, Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and Director of Columbia University’s Artsakh Atrocities Project—for their testimonies and principled positions on the issue.

The atrocities committed by the Aliyev regime against the Armenian population of Artsakh described during the hearing made it abundantly clear that subjecting the Christian Armenian population to the genocidal regime of Ilham Aliyev is unsustainable and will result in more suffering and ethnic cleansing.
A different political solution going back to the core of the League of Nations’ 1920 decision on Armenia’s boundaries should be considered by the international community, if it does not want to be complicit with the Aliyev regime in another genocide.

NDA remains committed to strengthening Armenian statehood with its activities both in Armenia and abroad and wishes to thank its worldwide membership and friends for their assistance in enabling us to continue this vital work. We also thank The Livingston Group for facilitating our efforts in this regard and for representing us in Washington.

NDA Governing Council Yerevan, September 6, 2023