A convoy of trucks carrying 400 tons of humanitarian aid is blocked from entering Artsakh
The United States Agency for International Development called for the resumption of free movement along the Lachin Corridor, while the State Department said the “difficult compromises” were required to attain peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
USAID Administrator Samantha Power said food insecurity and shortage of medical supplies in Artsakh are “very troubling.”
“Food insecurity & shortages of medical supplies in Nagorno-Karabakh are very troubling. The Lachin corridor is critical for getting lifesaving supplies to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. I join Secretary Blinken’s call for the free transit of commercial & humanitarian supplies through the corridor,” Power said in a social media post on Monday.
The State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said United States wants “difficult compromises” from Armenia and Azerbaijan in order to achieve peace, yet he continued to ignore the ongoing aggression by Azerbaijan against Armenians both in Armenia and Artsakh, including the blocking of 400 tons of humanitarian assistance that has been stuck at the Hakari Bridge for seven days.
“We continue to talk about a peace agreement and we continue to believe that a peace agreement is within reach. However, we have always said that for it to be within reach both parties have to make difficult compromises, and that’s why the Secretary has been remained engaged in talking to the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to encourage them to make those difficult compromises so they can reach an agreement,” Miller said at a press briefing on Monday.
The U.S. Embassy in Armenia said the Special Envoy to the Caucasus Louis Bono will visit the region later this week to discuss “U.S. support for the peace process and the best way to achieve a lasting and dignified peace.” It did not elaborate.
The Armenian Service of Voice of America reached out to the State Department for comment about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, as well as the recent kidnapping and detention of Artsakh patient, Vagif Khachatryan, who was abducted while on a Red Cross medical transport mission on Saturday.
“The United States is aware of the detention of Vagif Khachatryan at the Lachin corridor checkpoint, who was being transported to Armenia for treatment under the escort of an international humanitarian organization,” the State Department told Voice of America
“The United States remains deeply concerned about Azerbaijan’s continued closure of the Lachine corridor to commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles,” the State Department added, saying that “halting humanitarian movement further worsens the humanitarian situation and undermines efforts to build confidence in the peace process.”
“The free movement of commercial, humanitarian and private vehicles through the Lachine corridor must be restored immediately,” the State Department’s said. “We consistently claim that peace in the region must include the protection of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh. We welcome dialogue guided by this goal.”
Meanwhile the Senate Foreign Relations Committee urged the U.S. and its allies to exert pressure of President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as the humanitarian in Artsakh worsens.
“The ICRC has served as a lifeline to Nagorno Karabakh. Then Azerbaijan cut off its last remaining source of essential food & medicine. More than 7 months into Azerbaijan’s blockade, the time is now for the US & its allies to exert pressure on Aliyev. Lives hang in the balance,” a post on Monday on the committee’s social media platforms said.
Former Senator Sam Brownback called for U.S. sanctions on Azerbaijan.
“It is getting progressively worse for Christians in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Lanchin [sic] Corridor is closed, in spite of an agreement to keep it open. Azerbaijan must be sanctioned for their humanitarian abuses before it gets even worse. #SaveKarabakh,” Brownback, who now serves as at-large ambassador for International Religious Freedom group, said in social media post.