To Dr. Abdul El-Sayed…
Dear Dr. El-Sayed,
On behalf of the Azerbaijan Society of America, I write with respect and with a deep sense of responsibility regarding your recent statement describing U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan as “a blatant violation of international law” and your commitment to defending the “peace, dignity, security and self-determination” of the Armenian people.
We respectfully but firmly disagree with this characterization.
As an organization established in the United States in 1957, the Azerbaijan Society of America has spent nearly seven decades building understanding between Azerbaijan and the American people. We believe that America's engagement in the South Caucasus should be guided by international law, historical facts, regional security, and the legitimate rights and dignity of all peoples not by a narrative that recognizes the suffering and aspirations of one community while overlooking those of another.
For decades, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were displaced from their homes as a result of the conflict surrounding Karabakh and the surrounding territories. Their suffering, their right to return, and their dignity deserve to be part of any serious discussion about peace and human rights. Azerbaijani families also lost loved ones, homes, communities, and cultural heritage. Their experiences cannot be excluded from the conversation simply because they do not fit neatly into one political narrative.
We are particularly concerned by the characterization of U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan as a “blatant violation of international law.” Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act has a specific history and legal framework, including congressional authority allowing the President to waive its restrictions under defined circumstances. The current administration's determination regarding the waiver also establishes conditions concerning U.S. national-security interests, border security, counterterrorism, and the peace process. A serious legal accusation should therefore be made only with full consideration of that statutory framework and the specific terms under which assistance is provided.
We also believe it is important to distinguish between supporting the Armenian people which no one should oppose and adopting political positions that may inadvertently suggest that the security and rights of Armenians can be protected only at the expense of Azerbaijanis. Peace cannot be built by recognizing the dignity of one people while diminishing the legitimate rights and security of another.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have a difficult history, but the future of the region should not be defined permanently by that history. The United States has an opportunity to encourage reconciliation, regional stability, economic cooperation, and lasting peace. That requires an approach that recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and respects the rights and security of both Azerbaijani and Armenian communities.
The Azerbaijani-American community has a particular interest in this discussion. We are Americans who love and value this country while maintaining a profound connection to our ancestral homeland. We believe strongly in America's principles of fairness, equal dignity, religious freedom, and the rule of law. Those principles should be applied consistently.
We therefore respectfully urge you, as a candidate seeking to represent the people of Michigan in the United States Senate, to consider the broader history and legal context before characterizing U.S. policy toward Azerbaijan as a violation of international law.
We would welcome the opportunity to meet with you or your representatives and share the perspective of the Azerbaijani-American community. We believe that dialogue is far more productive than political division, and that Americans deserve to hear the experiences and concerns of both Azerbaijani and Armenian communities.
Our appeal is ultimately a simple one: let us work toward a peace in which Azerbaijanis and Armenians alike can live with security, dignity, prosperity, and hope for the future.
The Azerbaijan Society of America remains committed to that goal and to strengthening the friendship between the United States and Azerbaijan.
With sincere respect,
Azerbaijan Society of America
