BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. The Parliament of
Azerbaijan expressed its opinion on the bill adopted by the Foreign
Relations Committee of the US Congress.


This is reflected in a statement published on the official
website of the Milli Majlis (Parliament of Azerbaijan).


According to the statement, the parliament expresses its strong
protest against the bill H.R. 9087 adopted by the Foreign Relations
Committee of the U.S. Congress on July 22, 2026, and resolutely
rejects the unfounded accusations made against Azerbaijan in that
document.


"This initiative, which is a clear example of gross disregard
for the norms and principles of international law, is another
attempt to use the United States Congress as a tool of political
pressure against Azerbaijan in the interests of the Armenian
lobby," the statement emphasized.


The statement pointed out that the author of the bill,
Congressman Brad Sherman, a follower of the political line of
former Congressman Robert Menendez, is known as a person associated
with Armenian lobby groups and consistently trying to implement
their political agenda:


"It's clear that such initiatives, put forward on the eve of the
next elections to the U.S. Congress, are not at all related to the
intention to ensure the national interests of the U.S. and are
aimed at gaining political and financial support from influential
lobby circles. Such a practice, which calls into question the
objectivity of the decisions made, should be seriously investigated
by the law enforcement agencies of the U.S. and receive the
necessary legal assessment," the statement said.


The statement noted that the initiative under review was clearly
put forward as part of a long-standing campaign by the Armenian
lobby to discredit Azerbaijan.


"Such a dirty mission is being carried out by the former
prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo.
It is known to the international community that he prepared
politically motivated opinions with the financial assistance of
individuals associated with Armenian chauvinist circles, including
the Russian oligarch of Armenian origin, Samvel Karapetyan. The
same political line is visible in the activities of a number of
European parliamentary bodies, including the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe. Individual deputies of this body, in
particular, individuals such as Frank Schwabe, have been making
biased and biased initiatives regarding Azerbaijan for a long time.
All these actions are part of a precisely coordinated campaign
carried out by the Armenian lobby on various international
parliamentary platforms," the statement said.


According to the statement, it's worrying that such steps are
being taken at a time when the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and
Armenia is being consistently advanced.


"International efforts aimed at establishing a solid and lasting
peace, in particular the mediation initiative and direct support of
U.S. President Donald Trump, have opened up real opportunities for
the normalization of relations between the two states. In such a
situation, attempts by individual congressmen to adopt politically
motivated unilateral decisions not only undermine the atmosphere of
trust, but also hinder the peace process.


Such actions only serve the interests of the radical chauvinist
circles of the Armenian lobby. For decades, these circles have
prevented the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and
tried to maintain the confrontation, and now they are using
regional tensions to achieve their own political and financial
goals," the statement said.


The statement also noted that the use of terms such as
"prisoners of war" and "political prisoners" in the draft law
regarding persons convicted by the courts of the Republic of
Azerbaijan is particularly indignant.


"These persons are not prisoners of war or political prisoners.
They have been brought to criminal responsibility for committing
military aggression, war crimes, enforced disappearance, torture,
terrorism, and other crimes stipulated by the legislation of
Azerbaijan and international law. Attempts to portray them as
victims of political persecution are a deliberate distortion of the
facts and a direct interference in the administration of justice by
an independent state."


"The Parliament of Azerbaijan calls on the congressmen of the
U.S. to abandon the practice of making decisions under the
influence of organized Armenian lobby groups, to respect
international law and the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, as well as not
to become tools in the hands of forces interested in disrupting the
peace process and maintaining the conflict in the South Caucasus,"
the statement concluded.