(Glendale, California)—On December 14, 2022, ANCA-Western Region hosted a holiday event at the Krikor & Mariam Karamanoukian Youth Center in Glendale to celebrate the season with the participation of over 150 guests, including policymakers, diplomats, public officials, clergy, friends, supporters, representatives of sister organizations, and members of ANCA-Western Region chapters and committees, but as a result of Azerbaijan’s renewed attempts to ethnically cleanse the Armenians of Artsakh by blockading the Lachin corridor, the event helped shift the focus to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh.

Since December 12, 2022, more than 120,000 Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) have been landlocked by Aliyev’s pseudo-environmentalists, who have illegally cut off the only road in and out of Artsakh in violation of international human rights and humanitarian law as well as the November 9, 2020 trilateral ceasefire statement.

During the first four days of Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade, Azerbaijan had cut off the inflow of gas to Artsakh, leaving families freezing, forcing schools and bakeries to close down, and preventing hospitals from conducting vital, life-saving operations. While the gas supply to Artsakh resumed on December 16, the blockade of the Berdzor Corridor has now entered the 11th day, causing a serious shortage of food, medical supplies, baby formula, and other essential livelihood needs.

In response to the blockade of Artsakh, several public officials and community advocates attending ANCA-Western Region’s holiday event made statements of solidarity and support.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.