U.S. Official Says Turkey Blocked Its Airspace Because of Yerevan Visit

An important hearing hosted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission took place in Washington, D.C.on Thursday, focusing on human rights abuses by the government of Azerbaijan. The session, which was live-streamed on The Armenian Report’s YouTube channel, examined the troubling situation in Azerbaijan, especially following the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

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The newly appointed Chairman of the U.S. House Freedom Caucus Maryland Representative Andy Harris spoke at the hearing. In his opening remarks, Harris expressed deep concern about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, particularly the destruction of cultural and religious sites.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman,” Harris began. “I appreciate all the witnesses.”

Harris shared insights from his recent travels with the Helsinki Commission, noting his visit to Armenia and observations on the border with Azerbaijan. He described seeing the forced displacement of people from Nagorno-Karabakh, calling it a troubling situation where individuals were left with no choice but to leave their homes.

One of Harris’s main concerns was the destruction of cultural heritage sites in the region. “It was my first visit to the South Caucasus,” he said. “When you see monasteries that are a thousand years old—these are World Heritage sites that should be preserved and never destroyed. The imagery showing this destruction is deeply disturbing.”

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Harris also addressed the complex issue of Turkey’s involvement. He recounted an anecdote from a recent trip where his flight route was altered to avoid Turkish airspace. “My wife, who doesn’t like to fly, was with us,” Harris explained. “We were going from Yerevan to Malta, and instead of flying directly over Turkey, we were rerouted over the Black Sea. The pilot told us Turkey had refused to allow our flight through their airspace because we had visited Yerevan.”

Harris expressed frustration over Turkey’s actions, despite its long-standing alliance with the U.S. “For the past 70 years, Turkey has been our ally. Yet now, it seems our most enduring ally is betraying some of the trust we have in them,” he said. He emphasized the need to address these diplomatic challenges while acknowledging the complicity of Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan in the situation.

As the hearing concluded, Harris stressed the importance of addressing the human rights abuses in Azerbaijan. “We have clear evidence of what happened in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The destruction of cultural heritage sites, especially religious ones, is occurring for no good reason,” he said. “We cannot tolerate this behavior. It’s up to us to figure out how to solve this issue.”

Harris urged the U.S. government to take a strong stance against these abuses and work towards a solution. “It’s a tricky, difficult part of the world,” he acknowledged. “But we need to stand against this kind of behavior and ensure that cultural and human rights are respected.”

In closing, Harris thanked the witnesses for their testimony and reaffirmed his commitment to addressing these critical issues. “I hope that our actions will help reduce the violence and undue influence in the region. The evidence is clear, and we must act accordingly to protect human rights and cultural heritage.”