In response to the ongoing  humanitarian crisis in Artsakh caused by Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only transport route that connects Artsakh with the world via Armenia, California based community and political advocacy organizations send a letter urging President Biden to take immediate action. 

In the letter co-signed by the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, the Asian-American National Committee, Assyrian American Association of Southern California, Inner City Struggle, Israeli American Civic Action Network, Jewish World Watch, and Muwekma Ohlone Tribe called on the Biden Administration to immediately halt all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan, deliver urgent humanitarian assistance to the 120,000 civilians trapped in Artsakh, and sanction members of the Aliyev regime under the Global Magnitsky Act. 

Below is the full text of the joint letter:

January 9, 2023 

President Joseph Biden

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Washington, DC 20500

CC to: Secretary of State Anthony Blinken

CC to: NSC Chair Jake Sullivan

CC to: USAID Administrator Samantha Power

RE: Azerbaijan’s Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and the Unfolding Humanitarian Crisis 

Dear President Biden,

We, the undersigned, strongly urge you to immediately end military assistance to Azerbaijan and request that emergency U.S. humanitarian aid is allocated to the Armenian population of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), who have been deprived of desperately needed food, fuel, medicine, and other urgently needed supplies for the last 29 days. Since December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan has blockaded Artsakh by closing the Lachin Corridor, which is the only connection Artsakh has with the world via the Republic of Armenia.

The effect has been devastating for the region’s 120,000 Armenians, who have been left without access to the only route that provides Artsakh’s food, medical supplies, and transport, depriving more than 120,000 Armenians of their right to free movement and right to life. 

For four days, Azerbaijan also cut off gas inflow to Artsakh, leaving families freezing, forcing schools and gas-operated bakeries to close, and preventing hospitals from conducting vital, life-saving operations.

The Aliyev Regime’s actions directly violate the November 9, 2020 tripartite ceasefire statement and a host of international human rights and humanitarian law, including the use of “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” which is prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. We once again reiterate that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can only be resolved through multilateral diplomatic efforts led by the United States, the leader of the free world, and condemn Azerbaijan’s attempts to manufacture a humanitarian crisis to enforce its demands through coercion and intimidation.

Since the unprovoked military attack by Azerbaijan in 2020 against the indigenous Armenian people of Nagorno Karabakh, no direct U.S. humanitarian assistance has been provided to its Armenian population. Despite numerous calls for securing much-needed humanitarian assistance for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Administration has, to date, failed to provide adequate aid, which makes an emergency aid package for Nagorno-Karabakh all the more urgent.

We call upon President Biden, Secretary of State Blinken, National Security Council Chairman Sullivan, and USAID Administrator Power to:

1. Condemn Azerbaijan’s genocidal campaign against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and demand the immediate re-opening of the Lachin Corridor;
2. Immediately halt all U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan in light of the illegal humanitarian blockade imposed on the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, consistent with Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act;
3. Sanction members of the Aliyev regime under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act for ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Aliyev regime;
4. Deliver $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Nagorno Karabakh through the Lachin Corridor to ensure the survival of the 120,000 Armenians who have been blockaded since December 12, 2022 by the Aliyev regime;
5. Introduce a UN Security Council resolution to establish a United Nations Mission in Nagorno Karabakh (UNMINK) for the next five years, consisting of 5,000 military personnel representing at least two Permanent Member States of the UN Security Council.

We look forward to your timely response.

Signatories Below: 

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region

Nora Hovsepian, Board Chair

Asian-American National Committee

Tuan Nguyen, Executive Director

Assyrian American Association of Southern California

Peter Warda, President

Inner City Struggle

Henry Perez, Associate Director

Israeli American Civic Action Network

Dillon Hosier, CEO

Jewish World Watch

Serena Oberstein, Executive Director

Muwekma Ohlone Tribe

Charlene Nijmeh, Chairwoman