Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting visits and communication between the United States and the Republic of Artsakh at all levels of civil society and government.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 190 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting visits and communication between the United States and the Republic of Artsakh at all levels of civil society and government. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 7, 2019 Mr. PALLONE (for himself, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. SPEIER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. MCGOV- ERN, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. COSTA, and Mr. CARBAJAL) sub- mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives sup- porting visits and communication between the United States and the Republic of Artsakh at all levels of civil society and government. Whereas peace, stability, and democracy in the Caucasus re- gion are in the political, security, and economic interests of the United States and are matters of international concern; Whereas the United States considers any effort to determine the future of the Republic of Artsakh, formerly the Re- public of Nagorno-Karabakh, by other than peaceful VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Mar 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR190.IH HR190 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 190 IH means, including acts of aggression, blockades, or threats against civil aviation, a threat to peace; Whereas the United States remains committed to the Organi- zation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group negotiations toward a durable and demo- cratic resolution of outstanding status and security issues related to the Artsakh Republic; Whereas the Artsakh Republic was one of three parties to the 1994 cease-fire that ended major military hostilities be- tween Artsakh and Azerbaijan, and remains committed to a negotiated, non-violent resolution; Whereas the Artsakh Republic took part in OSCE negotia- tions until 1998, when, at Azerbaijan’s insistence, the OSCE blocked its democratically elected representatives from full and direct participation in negotiations regard- ing its future status and security; Whereas the Artsakh Republic has developed democratic in- stitutions, fostered a pluralist political system, and, over the past quarter century, held parliamentary and Presi- dential elections that have been rated as free and fair by international observers; Whereas the Artsakh Republic, along with the United States, Armenia, and the OSCE, support cease-fire monitoring proposals to strengthen the 1994 cease-fire, including— (1) an agreement from all sides to not deploy snip- ers, heavy arms, or new weaponry along the line of con- tact; (2) the placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the line of contact; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Mar 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR190.IH HR190 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 190 IH (3) the deployment of additional OSCE observers along the line of contact to better monitor the cease-fire; Whereas the United States since fiscal year 1998 has pro- vided over $45 million to the victims of the Artsakh-Azer- baijan conflict, including projects to deliver maternal healthcare, provide clean drinking water, and clear mine- fields in Artsakh, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stating that the United States remains ‘‘focused on com- pleting demining as quickly and as thoroughly as pos- sible’’; Whereas current Department of State policies and practices place self-imposed restrictions on travel and communica- tions between the United States and Artsakh, limiting oversight of United States taxpayer-funded assistance programs and discouraging the open dialogue and dis- course that can contribute to a peaceful resolution of Artsakh-related status and security issues; and Whereas open dialogue and communications contribute to greater international understanding and facilitate more effective conflict resolution: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) affirms its commitment to supporting ac- 2 tions that encourage visits and communication be- 3 tween officials from the United States and Artsakh 4 at all levels, including cabinet-level national security 5 officials, general officers, and other executive branch 6 officials, to travel to Artsakh and openly and directly 7 communicate with their Artsakh counterparts; 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Mar 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR190.IH HR190 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 190 IH (2) encourages open communication, meetings, 1 and other direct contacts between officials of 2 Artsakh and the executive and legislative branches 3 of the United States Government, representatives of 4 State and local governments, and representatives of 5 American civil society; and 6 (3) calls for the full and direct participation of 7 the democratically elected Government of the Repub- 8 lic of Artsakh in all OSCE and other negotiations 9 regarding its future. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:20 Mar 08, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR190.IH HR190 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS