ARMENIA Security Partnership Act

Summary#

This bill requires the Secretary of Defense to certify, within 180 days of enactment and at least annually after that, whether the Government of Azerbaijan has taken specific, meaningful steps regarding Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Those steps include upholding a Joint Declaration, fully withdrawing Azerbaijani forces from Armenian sovereign territory, unconditionally releasing Armenian prisoners, ceasing hostilities against Armenia, and recognizing a right of return for ethnic Armenians to homes in Nagorno-Karabakh while preserving Armenian cultural and religious sites there.

If the Secretary of Defense cannot make the certification, the Secretary must begin an immediate review of United States security assistance for Armenia within 14 days. That review must assess threats to Armenia, evaluate past and current U.S. security assistance (including International Security Cooperation Programs, Foreign Military Financing, and International Military Education and Training), identify gaps in Armenia's defense needs, summarize immediate Department of Defense steps to increase security cooperation, and recommend further steps to increase security assistance. The Secretary must submit this report to the congressional defense committees and coordinate with the Commander of U.S. European Command and other national security agencies as appropriate.

The bill also prevents the President from using a specific waiver authority under the Freedom Support Act (title II of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2002) after the 14-day period if the Secretary cannot certify the listed steps. The term "congressional defense committees" is defined as the Armed Services and Appropriations Committees in both the House and Senate.

What it means for you#

  • The Department of Defense must check and report whether Azerbaijan has met a set of conditions related to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
  • If Azerbaijan has not met those conditions, the Department must quickly review U.S. security assistance to Armenia and report findings and recommendations to Congress.
  • The President would be barred from using a particular waiver authority tied to assistance for former Soviet states if the required certification is not made.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on costs or funding is included in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents' statements or full arguments is included in the bill text or metadata provided.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' statements or full arguments is included in the bill text or metadata provided.