While We Just Watch, People Are Dying: Bob Menendez to U.S. Ambassador Nominee for Azerbaijan

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing to discuss Mark Libby’s nomination for the position of U.S. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Azerbaijan.

During the session, Committee Chairman Bob Menendez urged Libby to take a decisive stance regarding President Aliyev's atrocities in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In response to Menendez's question about whether Libby publicly condemns the blockade and urges Aliyev to unblock the Lachin corridor, the U.S. ambassador nominee replied: “In the short term, it is essential to monitor the situation and continue calls and pressure to restore civil and commercial communication. In the medium term, we are considering the issue of support. We do not have access to that area, but the U.S. government has allocated $21 million for humanitarian aid. However, the long-term solution is a peace agreement that will ensure the rights and security of everyone in the region.”

Menendez responded to Libby's remarks: “While we just watch, people are dying.”