There is something strikingly familiar about the latest legislative initiative introduced by Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Frank Pallone. Once again, a pair of United States lawmakers has placed itself at the centre of a deeply polarised foreign conflict, not by promoting balance or legal clarity, but by recycling talking points carefully curated by the Armenian diaspora lobby in Washington. The Armenia Security Partnership Act is less a serious attempt at peace building than another exercise in political theatre, one that glosses over facts, disregards international law and openly seeks to shield individuals accused of serious crimes committed on Azerbaijani territory.

The issue of detainees sits at the heart of this controversy. Bilirakis and Pallone repeatedly refer to “Armenian prisoners and hostages,” a phrase designed to provoke emotional responses while avoiding legal scrutiny. Those currently detained in Azerbaijan are not civilians randomly seized, nor are they prisoners of war captured in conventional hostilities. Many are accused of participation in sabotage, armed attacks, illegal armed formations and acts that resulted in the deaths of Azerbaijani civilians and servicemen. These are matters under active judicial review, not political bargaining chips to be waved about in congressional press releases.

The attempt to recast alleged war criminals as innocent victims raises an uncomfortable question. What........

© AzerNews