Following intense questioning by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) on a range of issues dealing with the Aliyev regime’s ongoing attacks against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and the demolition of the centuries old Armenian cemetery in Djulfa, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today approved the nomination of Richard Morningstar for US Ambassador to Azerbaijan, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA.)

In a statement submitted at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting earlier today, Senator Boxer outlined a number of issues she hoped Ambassador Morningstar would prioritize during his tenure in Azerbaijan. “It is absolutely critical that Ambassador Morningstar use his position to respond to and counter the Government of Azerbaijan’s escalating acts of aggression and threats against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,” explained Sen. Boxer, who went on to call on the nominee to “urge the Azerbaijani government to comply with the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group 1994 ceasefire agreement,” and carry out an investigation into the Azerbaijani demolition of the Armenian cemetery in Djulfa. Senator Boxer’s complete statement is provided below.

Senator Boxer submitted a series of questions in the days leading up to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote, where her concerns about the June 4-6 Azerbaijani attacks against Armenia and Karabakh were evident. “If confirmed, how will you respond, publicly and privately, to new acts of aggression that now extend beyond the Nagorno-Karabakh region into the Armenian-Azerbaijani border area?” asked Sen. Boxer, followed by “How will you specifically work to ensure that the Azerbaijani government respects the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group negotiated ceasefire?”

Ambassador Morningstar reiterated the blanket calls by Secretary Clinton urging all sides to “exercise restraint, comply with their obligations under the 1994 ceasefire agreement, and take the steps necessary for peace.” He then went on to explain, “If confirmed, I will work with U.S. Minsk Group Co-Chair Robert Bradtke and engage at the highest levels of the Azerbaijani government to urge respect for the ceasefire and strengthen its implementation.” In response to a follow up question by Senator Boxer where she referenced President Ilham Aliyev’ recent proclamation that, “[Azerbaijan’s] main enemies are Armenians of the world,” Ambassador Morningstar was more direct. “If confirmed, I will make the case that irresponsible rhetoric is unacceptable and undermines our efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict. I will urge the Azerbaijani government to show restraint in its rhetoric and to prepare its people for peace, not war,” noted Morningstar.

Referring to the Azerbaijani Government’s destruction of the centuries old Armenian cemetery in Djulfa as "an affront to religious freedom," Sen. Boxer asked, “will you commit to attempt to travel to Djulfa to investigate the destruction of the cemetery? What steps will you take to ensure that other religious sites and monuments in Azerbaijan are protected?” Ambassador Morningstar pledged to “make every effort to visit the cemetery at Djulfa. I will also amplify our concerns to the Government of Azerbaijan and stress the need to respect and safeguard Armenian religious and cultural sites in Azerbaijan.”

Morningstar responded similarly during robust questioning by Senator Menendez during his confirmation hearing last week. “What we need to do is to take very strong positions as an Administration and in Baku, if I'm there, to protect the rights of the Armenian Church, as well as to rectify the situation with respect to the cemetery. And that would be a major part of the agenda.”