ANCA: over 200,000 letters from pro-Artsakh advocates reach President Biden,
YEREVAN, August 24. /ARKA/. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) said it ramped up pressure on the Biden Administration and Congress this week, issuing a nationwide call to action in support of a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding Azerbaijan lift its genocidal blockade of Artsakh’s indigenous Christian population.
According to ANCA, over 200,000 letters from pro-Artsakh advocates have already reached President Biden, Vice-President Harris, and U.S. Senate and House members, calling for immediate steps to “avert an impending genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) caused by Azerbaijan’s 250+ day blockade of the Lachin Corridor – the only humanitarian lifeline linking Artsakh to Armenia.”
Specifically, Armenian Americans and their allies are urging the U.S. to:
— Lead a United Nations Security Council Resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, and calling for the immediate reopening of the Lachin Corridor consistent with the binding provisional order issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
— Suspend any new, current, or pending U.S. military or security assistance to Azerbaijan, and fully enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act;
— Provide emergency U.S. humanitarian assistance to the Armenian victims of Azerbaijani aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh, including by means of a humanitarian airlift;
— Apply statutory sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the genocidal blockade of Nagorno Karabakh.
ANCA recalls that during the August 16 UNSC meeting, U.S. Amb. Thomas-Greenfield offered remarks “urging the government of Azerbaijan to restore free movement through the corridor – so commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles can reach the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.”
All sitting members of the UN Security Council called for the immediate reopening of the Lachin Corridor and to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to the region. Pressure continues on the U.S. and other UN Security Council members to pass a resolution or issue a declaration demanding Azerbaijan lift its Artsakh blockade.
Earlier this month, former First Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno Ocampo issued a report that determined Azerbaijan’s deliberate blockade of the Lachin Corridor constitutes an act of genocide under Article II, (c) of the Genocide Convention. -0-
