Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ inaction as Christian Armenians faced ethnic cleansing by Muslim Azerbaijanis last year. The inaction was caused by a network of foreign agents in Azerbaijan with ties to the Democratic Party.

September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan invaded A swift offensive was launched in the predominantly Armenian Christian autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh, hitting almost all of the territory’s 120,000 residents. run away facing west fear of death. Immediately after the Azerbaijani military launched its offensive, foreign agents funded by various branches of the Azerbaijani government attempted to quell domestic backlash against attacks on Armenian Christians, targeting lawmakers and key figures in the Biden-Harris administration. I started sending thousands of emails to people. According to Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) records.

Azerbaijan is currently soliciting bids from six U.S. companies, but BGR Government Affairs and Friedlander Consulting Group provided running cover for the Caucasus oil state’s heavy lifting after the invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, FARA filings say. The documents show. In the months following the attack, BGR sent hundreds of emails, arranged meetings and made phone calls defending Azerbaijan’s interests. Meanwhile, Friedlander Consulting sent thousands of emails and organized meetings between key policymakers and Azerbaijani government officials in the wake of the attack.

Mark Tavlarides, the main BGR lobbyist working on behalf of Azerbaijan, and Ezra Friedlander, president of Friedlander Consulting, both have significant ties to the Democratic Party. (Stream The Daily Caller’s documentary “Lawless” here)

Mr. Tavlarides served in the Clinton administration, first on the Pentagon’s legislative staff and then as director of the White House National Security Council. According to Visit his LinkedIn page. He also donated nearly $30,000 this election cycle, primarily to Democratic political committees, his disclosure form said. show.

On the other hand, Mr. Friedlander has a history of being active as a Democratic politician in New York City. According to in his company bio and often reposts pro-Democrat messages on his X account.

A girl sleeps on the street in the town of Stepanakert on September 25, 2023, as Armenian refugees begin to evacuate from Nagorno-Karabakh on September 24, 2023. (Photo by HASMIK KHACHATRYAN/AFP, Getty Images)

“These men, women, and children, fearing for their lives, left behind their schools, their stores, their entire worlds. Their fields, their herds, their vineyards. The graveyards of their ancestors,” said Harvard professor. Christina Maransi says. I wrote The exodus of Armenians caused by the Azerbaijani offensive. “The United States and the European Union talk loudly about universal human rights, but did nothing for nine months while their people were being violated. [Nagorno-Karabakh] They were denied food, medicine, fuel and other vital supplies. ”

Friedlander’s company receive The Azerbaijani government, which pays $41,666 a month on behalf of the Azerbaijani government, launched a public relations campaign in the country days after it began evicting Armenians from their homes, with House Republican policy chairman Gary Palmer of Alabama and the Azerbaijani ambassador. A meeting was set up. According to the disclosed information, the meeting will be held on September 27, 2023 to discuss “the development of the South Caucasus.” The next day, Friedlander began arranging meetings between Azerbaijani embassy officials and various Congressional offices, including Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Democratic Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, among others. . sit He serves on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In an October 2023 Congressional memo, Vance expressed concern about “Azerbaijan’s rapid abandonment of the ceasefire agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh and the exodus of ancient Christian communities.”

Mr. Friedlander’s actions were preceded by then-New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez introduce senate solution On September 21, 2023, the United States requested humanitarian aid for displaced Armenians, called on the United States to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani officials who orchestrated the attack, and announced actions to deepen the strategic relationship between the United States and Armenia. Ta. Foreign agents in Azerbaijan acted quickly, emailing virtually every Senate office eight days after the resolution was introduced, urging them to oppose it, disclosures show. Ta.

However, it is unclear what Mr. Friedlander sent to those senators, and his company’s FARA disclosures do not include emails that referenced the Senate resolution or matched the dates of those communications. Not yet. In any case, the resolution never passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. According to On the legislative record.

The resolution is Co-host A bipartisan coalition of senators notes that Azerbaijan has used rockets and cluster bombs indiscriminately against civilian targets and maintained a blockade that has prevented approximately 90% of food from entering Nagorno-Karabakh. did. In addition to killing Armenian civilians, the invading Azerbaijani forces also destroyed the Armenian population. church and was desecrated cultural heritage.

Christian Armenians light candles and pray during a service for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees at St. Sargis Vicarious Church as part of the national Artsakh Day prayers on October 1, 2023 in Yerevan. (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)

Friedlander said in a communication to policymakers. I felt stressed Azerbaijani Christians are allowed to celebrate Christmas in Azerbaijan. However, Freedom House gave It noted that Azerbaijan’s 2023 religious freedom score is zero, and religious groups must register with the government and are subject to monitoring. Members of religious communities who attempt to operate without government approval are subject to torture and imprisonment.

Mr. Tavlarides, Azerbaijan’s foreign agent working for BGR, began working for the country in November 2023 and contacted staff managers of the House and Senate Foreign Relations Committees to discuss the Armenian Protection Act of 2023. I took it. law As a result, Azerbaijan will be unable to receive U.S. security assistance for the next two years, the disclosure revealed. The bill passed the Senate unanimously shortly after, but has since stalled in the House amid Friedlander’s aggressive lobbying efforts, Defense News. reported.

“This bill actively undermines the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the public said. email Read Friedlander, who was dispatched to hundreds of House offices in February. Friedlander went on to deny that Azerbaijan was involved in ethnic cleansing and reminded lawmakers of Azerbaijan’s close ties to Israel.

Mr. Tabularides said, donor to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and Friedlander. jews in training He frequently posts about his support for Israel. Israel and Azerbaijan have strong strategic ties, with the latter providing various benefits to the former. oil in exchange gun.

In addition to trying to influence members of Congress on behalf of the Azerbaijani government, Friedlander and Tavlarides also sought to influence the Biden administration’s response to the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis, according to the disclosures. The latter sent Deputy Secretary of Defense Lianne Riccara to the post. email In February, he voiced his opposition to Senate Resolution 540. requested To provide the Secretary of State with a report investigating whether Azerbaijan has engaged in human rights abuses and assessing whether security assistance to the white nation should continue.

Tavlarides’ letter does not address humanitarian abuses in Nagorno-Karabakh, but emphasizes Azerbaijan’s support for Ukraine and Israel, the country’s history of cooperation with the United States, and the importance of the United States maintaining its commitment to its allies. It became clear that it did. He sent similar communications to numerous House offices. Tablarides also contacted the State Department in January on behalf of the Azerbaijani government to urge them to object. correction It made amendments to the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that limit military aid to the country, investigate ties with Iran and Russia, and require the release of all prisoners of war and prisoners of war.

According to records, Mr. Tavlarides also tried to arrange a meeting between the Helsinki Commission, a U.S. agency that handles parts of European diplomacy, and the Azerbaijani embassy.

Meanwhile, Friedlander contacted the State Department in early 2024 and the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2023, providing information about cultural events in Azerbaijan.

Tavlarides and Friedlander often ended their emails with offers to connect government officials with Azerbaijani diplomats. Neither foreign representative responded to requests for comment.

Soldiers stand guard on the side of a road where the final day of fighting took place a few days ago between Armenian forces and approaching Azerbaijani forces. (Photo by Alex McBride/Getty Images)

Azerbaijan has so far escaped sanctions for its invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, but it continues to expand its network of influence in Washington, DC, FARA filings reveal.

The country’s embassy hired Skyline Capitol as its representative in June as the House of Representatives considered a bill that would strip Azerbaijan of American military aid. agree pay the company $50,000 per month for its services; Skyline Capitol is guided Remarks by recently retired former Utah Republican Congressman Chris Stewart. House of Commons Foreign Affairs Department and information committee. stewart company Specialty field Defense and foreign affairs lobbying.

After lobbyists leave Congress, they tend to use the connections they made on the Hill to provide better representation for their clients, which in this case happens to be a country that experts have accused of ethnic cleansing. .

“Foreign governments do not deserve a veto over U.S. human rights policy, which is a core American value,” Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of the United States, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. told. “Azerbaijan in particular should not be allowed to enforce gag rules against American accusations of ethnic cleansing against endangered Armenian Christians.”

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Azerbaijan reportedly requires lobbyists not to register or represent themselves under FARA, meaning Americans cannot see what foreign agents are saying to officials. Then Politico reported. reported Thursday night. Two lobbyists said on condition of anonymity that they refused to work with the country because they believed it was encouraging violations of federal law.

The Pentagon, White House, BGR, and Azerbaijani embassy did not respond to DCNF’s requests for comment. The State Department declined to comment.

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