Author: George Mamian

Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America hosted a Capitol Hill briefing for Congressional offices on Wednesday, featuring a live reporting from Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan and ANC Artsakh Director Gev Iskajyan.

Stepanyan and Iskajyan provided on-the-ground updates on the impact of Azerbaijan’s 150-day blockade and escalating campaign to complete the ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh. Both highlighted the urgency of the situation facing the citizens of Artsakh, most notably the young, elderly, and infirm, resulting from the lack of gas, food, and medicine. Speakers placed special focus on the recent placement of an illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint on the only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia, which has prevented the International Red Cross from delivering supplies or transporting critically-ill patients over the past several weeks.

ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan provided a Washington, DC perspective on the crisis facing Artsakh, with a focus on specific legislative and other policy-driven solutions, urging passage of the Anti-Blockade resolution (H.Res. 108) and legislation supporting Artsakh recognition (H.Res.320). Yerimyan also urged action on the Armenian Genocide Education Act (H.R.2803 and S. 1329) as an important step toward preventing future genocides. The hour-long briefing ended with a question and answer session.

Participants included dozens of legislative offices, local ANCA chapter leaders, and a broad array of ANCA coalition partners. The top-line policy issues covered during the presentation included:

• Ending U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan
• Identifying Azerbaijan as the belligerent party
• Sending humanitarian assistance to Artsakh
• Holding Azerbaijan accountable for war crimes

The ANCA regularly connects Artsakh stakeholders with Congressional and decision-makers in the Washington, DC foreign policy community.

A “Welcome to Azerbaijan” sign is posted at the occupied Hakari Bridge near the illegal checkpoint at Lachin Corridor

All Supplies to Artsakh are Halted

In a brazen move, a “welcome to Azerbaijan” sign was posted on Monday at the occupied Hakari River bridge ahead of the illegal checkpoint established by Azerbaijan on Sunday, which has cut off all humanitarian supply deliveries to Artsakh, according to officials.

Despite reports of ongoing negotiations between the Russian peacekeeping contingent and Azerbaijani representative, the sign reading “Attention! You are entering the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan!” was installed.

The commander of the Russian peacekeeping forces Andrey Volkov is personally engaged in the negotiations, which are heading into the third day.

In a rebuke to Baku, the Russian Defense Ministry on Monday said that, “as a result of the unilateral and not-agreed-upon actions on April 23, 2023, the Azerbaijani side has blocked traffic through the Lachin corridor in the area of the observation post of the Russian peacekeeping contingent No. 1.”

With the installation of the illegal checkpoint, Azerbaijan has effectively tightened the chokehold around the people of Artsakh, with Artsakh’s State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan reporting a stoppage of all humanitarian assistance, which was being brought in by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The ICRC reported that it was forced to cancel a scheduled transport of 28 patients from Artsakh to Armenia because of the checkpoint, adding that among the sick were an expectant mother whose unborn baby will need heart surgery upon being born and a nine-year-old child suffering from leukemia.

Since the Artsakh blockade began 135 day ago on December 12, the ICRC has transported 337 patents to Armenia.

Nersisyan, the Artsakh State Minister, said that the transport of rations covered by government-issued coupon has also been halted and added the government will extend the validity of the coupons beyond the specified dates.

He warned that four villages around Shushi were under the most serious threat as the checkpoint, coupled with the Azerbaijan’s breach of the line-of-contact earlier this month, have effectively cut those communities, which are currently surrounded.

The Artsakh Information Center reported late on Tuesday that due to efforts of the local administration and the Russian peacekeeping force it became possible to “somewhat restore” the supply of humanitarian goods disrupted in recent days.