Armenian Caucus leaders urge Biden administration to consider  emergency airlift

ArmInfo. As Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh entered its 38th day, Congressional Armenian Caucus leaders 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).

"Azerbaijan has shown time and again that statements of condemnation  are insufficient to deter the genocidal Aliyev regime," stated ANCA  Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "As the Armenian Caucus leaders  stated, we need 'maximum pressure' by the Biden Administration -   starting with cutting all military aid to Azerbaijan, sanctioning  Azerbaijani leaders for ongoing war crimes, and an immediate  humanitarian airlift to save the people of Artsakh." 

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 today, 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."

Thousands of Artsakh and human rights supporters have flooded the  State Department and USAID phone lines over the past week as part of  an ANCA nationwide grassroots campaign demanding concrete U.S.   action to airlift emergency humanitarian aid to Artsakh and sanction  Azerbaijan, starting with an immediate end to U.S. military  assistance to Azerbaijan's genocidal Aliyev regime. To learn more and  take action, visit anca.org/blockade. 

The full text of the Armenian Caucus letter to Secretary Blinken and  Administrator Power is available at  https://anca.org/011823_ArmenianCaucus_Blockade.pdf