Senator Markey Hosts Roundtable with Armenian Community Organizations, Leaders

Reaffirms support of Armenian community ahead of international climate conference in Azerbaijan

Senator Markey with participants of the Armenian Community Roundtable

Boston (September 3, 2024) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today held a roundtable in Boston with Armenian community leaders to discuss efforts to hold Azerbaijani officials accountable for the attack on Nagorno Karabakh, the humanitarian needs of the displaced population, and the ongoing detention of ethnic Armenian political prisoners ahead of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties 29 (COP29), scheduled to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan this November.

"Given Azerbaijan's incredible dependence on state-sponsored fossil fuel production and its poor human rights record, I am deeply troubled that Azerbaijan has been selected as the host country for COP29," said Senator Markey. "Rather than be rewarded for persistently flouting international human rights law-as it attacks and displaces innocent civilians in Nagorno Karabakh and unlawfully detains Armenian prisoners-Azerbaijan must first rectify its human rights abuses and show real commitment to the scientific need to phase out oil and gas, not ramp up its misdeeds on both fronts."

"Armenian Americans are grateful for Senator Markey's steadfast efforts to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its human rights abuses and championing the rights of the Armenian people, and for his leadership on environmental issues," said Armenian Assembly of Armenia President Carolyn Mugar and Co-Chair Anthony Barsamian.

"As we approach the first anniversary of the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh's Armenians, Azerbaijan has faced no consequences for its crimes against humanity - emboldening its ongoing aggression against Armenia," stated Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "With Azerbaijan now set to host the COP29 climate change summit in November, we applaud Senator Markey's leadership in seeking to use this forum to expose and repudiate Azerbaijan's attempts to greenwash its egregious human rights and environmental record - and demand accountability for its genocidal aggression."

Senator Markey has long been a supporter of the Armenian diaspora in Massachusetts. In April 2024, Senator Markey joined his colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging the Department of State to prioritize the release of Armenian political leaders currently being held illegally by Azerbaijan as prisoners, including as a condition of any peace deal reached by Armenia and Azerbaijan in the aftermath of Azerbaijan's military assault on Nagorno Karabakh in September 2023.

In February, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced a bipartisan resolution to require that the Secretary of State provide a report on Azerbaijan's human rights practices, including concerning allegations of human rights violations committed against ethnic Armenians, such as unlawful killings, torture, restrictions on freedom of movement, the illegal detention of political prisoners, and ethnic cleansing.

In November 2023, ahead of COP28 in Dubai, Senator Markey and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) led 32 of their colleagues in a letter to President Joe Biden urging the Administration to support stronger national climate action commitments to the Paris climate agreement, a negotiated outcome for a full phase-out of fossil fuels, and transparency and stronger standards to prevent public financing for international fossil fuel projects. Senator Markey also joined 132 members of Congress and the European Parliament in urging the UNFCCC to rid COP28 and all future international climate talks of persistent interference from the fossil fuel industry.

Additionally, before the COP27 in 2022, Senator Markey led his colleagues in urging the Biden administration to strengthen the United States' position as a global leader in combatting climate change, including through reducing emissions and supporting climate financing for vulnerable nations. In addition to his support for loss and damage compensation, Senator Markey also joined the Fossil Fuel Nonproliferation Treaty as a forward-looking measure to limit international climate impacts.

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