Rand Paul Takes Stand Against Turkish Christian Genocide
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) made a proposal this week that would erect a roadblock for the Biden administration aiding Turkey’s Islamist forces in the slaughter of Armenian Christians.
The Republican’s resolution would hinder the planned sale of F-16 fighter jets to the nation. This cutting edge military hardware is being used by Azerbaijan in their continuing campaign to eradicate Armenia’s Christian population.
Paul’s Senate Joint Resolution 60, if adopted, would prohibit the transfer of the military aircraft to Turkey. It was immediately applauded by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, the ANCA noted that Turkey permitted Azerbaijan to use its fighter jets procured from the U.S. in 2020 against Armenians. This, it declared, was “in violation of U.S. and NATO restrictions on the third-party transfer of these weapons systems.”
Azerbaijan carried out what many consider to be “ethnic cleansing” in recent years against Armenians. The Nagorno-Karabakh region is recognized as Azerbaijani territory but has a population whose majority is ethnic Armenian.
The most recent outbreak of violence was in 2020.
Thousands of casualties resulted from Azerbaijani aggression, which only ended when Russia brokered a ceasefire.
Despite this, the White House informed Congress last month that it approved the $23 billion sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets and necessary equipment to Turkey. This came after the Islamic nation ratified Sweden’s bid to join the NATO alliance.
Paul is not the only lawmaker to voice concerns.
Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) and several other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee expressed reservations over the sale. Ranking member Jim Risch (R-ID) also voiced his displeasure with the sale, which will modernize Turkish fighters.
Both Cardin and Risch ultimately supported the deal when Turkey agreed to address human rights questions raised by Washington.
Cardin recognized his initial reluctance but said the Biden administration and Turkish government addressed his concerns.
Sen. Paul is not so sure.
