Your trusted source

Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders have urged Biden Administration officials to “use maximum pressure on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev” to lift the Artsakh blockade “before the current humanitarian crisis becomes catastrophic,” reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and David Valadao (R-CA) and Armenian/Assyrian Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA) were adamant: “The current international strategy to reopen the Lachin Corridor is simply not working. […] The Aliyev regime is taking premeditated steps to remove the indigenous Armenian population from Artsakh and deprive them of the opportunity to live freely, democratically, and with dignity in the land of their ancestors – a clear sign of ethnic cleansing that must not be ignored.”

The Congressional leaders advised, “the United States must also consider all available options to provide humanitarian aid to Artsakh, including a potential airlift of supplies to prevent the very real threat of starvation.” They also argued that “the threat of sanctions such as Magnitsky Sanctions against the authorities behind this blockade is warranted and appropriate given the grave threat the people of Artsakh are currently facing.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted his “deep concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh” but stopped short of announcing any meaningful U.S. steps to stop Azerbaijan’s devastating blockade of the 120,000 indigenous Armenian Christians in Artsakh. On January 13th, USAID Administrator Power tweeted, “Each day commercial traffic and humanitarian assistance cannot flow freely to Nagorno-Karabakh, the potential for a humanitarian crisis increases. Free movement through the corridor must be restored.”

While expressing appreciation for the Administration’s remarks, the Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders, noted that statements are not enough. “The Aliyev regime’s blatant disregard for these calls to immediately reopen the corridor is deeply concerning and demonstrates the need to urgently increase international pressure.”

The full text of the Armenian Caucus letter to Secretary Blinken and Administrator Power is available here.