Release of POWs: US defense budget for 2022 includes report on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

US President Joe Biden has signed the US defense budget for the 2022 fiscal year, according to a statement posted on the White House website.

The defense budget will be $768.2 B dollars, which is by 5% more than in the previous fiscal year, and $25 B more than Biden’s proposal.

Item 1302 of the budget program published on the official website of the US Congress refers to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. The first point states that no later than 180 days after the entry into force of the document, the Department of Defense, in consultation with other relevant federal agencies, must submit a report to the relevant congressional committees on the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The report should include an assessment of the use of US weapons systems or surveillance technologies in the 2020 conflict, including a list of their origins, if known. There should be information on the involvement of foreign actors in the conflict, including descriptions of hostilities, impacts, sales of foreign military equipment, diplomatic involvement of foreign states before, during and after the conflict, as well as efforts by the conflict parties to hire foreign fighters or private to involve military organizations. Any violations of the November 9, 2020 agreement, including the capture of prisoners of war and civilians, must be reported. It is stated that the parties to the conflict must fulfill their obligations under the November 9, 2020 agreement and international law, including the release of all prisoners of war and detained civilians. The parties to the conflict must refrain from the use of force and the threat of its use in order to find diplomatic solutions to contentious issues. It is stated that the United States will cooperate with the parties to the conflict, doubling its efforts under auspices of the Minsk Group.