US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Visits Armenia
On September 17, a small congressional delegation led by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to Armenia. According to Pelosi's office, the visit is to underline the strong commitment of the United States to security, economic development, and democratic government in Armenia and the Caucasus area. She is the most senior American official to have ever visited Armenia.
Importantly, Alen Simonyan, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, recently said in an interview with state television that the United States was instrumental in brokering the truce.
Pelosi's visit came amid the deadly border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan along the border. Nancy Pelosi on Sunday strongly condemned what she said were "illegal" border attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenia, using a visit to the Russian ally to pledge American support for its sovereignty.
In October 2019, Caucasus Watch reported that the US House of Representatives passed Resolution 296 by a vote of 405 to 11, condemning the Armenian genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire. The Armenian Genocide Resolution establishes, as a matter of US policy, 1) the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, 2) ongoing official US government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and 3) support for education about the Armenian genocide to help prevent modern-day atrocities. In April that year, several pro-Armenian US lawmakers, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, introduced the resolution. It reached the House floor after being backed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. Immediately after passing the Armenian resolution, the House voted overwhelmingly for a resolution calling on [former] US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Turkey regarding the operation "Peace Spring" in Syria.