Category: 2023

Azerbaijan sets up checkpoint on Lachin Corridor (Photo: NKR InfoCenter)

Humanitarian aid shipments to Artsakh have been disrupted by Azerbaijan’s installation of a checkpoint along the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor. 

Artsakh authorities announced that humanitarian assistance delivered by Russian peacekeepers from Armenia to Artsakh could not be transported for three days following the creation of the checkpoint. On April 25, Artsakh authorities said that food shipments had been “somewhat restored.” 

The transfer of 28 patients from Artsakh to medical institutions in Armenia was also barred by the establishment of the checkpoint. The patients include a pregnant woman whose expectant baby will require cardiac surgery and a nine-year-old with leukemia. 

On April 23, Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint along the Berdzor Corridor, the sole route connecting Armenia and Artsakh, and closed the Hakari bridge at the entrance to the corridor near Armenia’s border. Russian peacekeeping forces stationed near the bridge did not intervene.  

Azerbaijani protesters posing as environmental activists have closed the Berdzor Corridor since December 12, 2022, barring the movement of civilians or essential goods. Only vehicles belonging to the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh or the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have been able to travel along the corridor. The ICRC has transported patients from Artsakh to Armenia for medical assistance since the start of the blockade. Yet the establishment of a checkpoint has tightened the blockade on Artsakh. 

“It is obvious that by setting up a checkpoint, Azerbaijan is trying to give new impetus to its policy of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh in an environment of complete impunity and permissiveness,” the Artsakh Foreign Ministry said. “Not only does the leadership of Azerbaijan not hide its genocidal actions, but also announces them in advance without any condemnation or opposition from the international community.”

The installation of a military checkpoint violates the trilateral ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia ending the 2020 Artsakh War. Under the terms of the agreement, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor to ensure the connection between Armenia and Artsakh. The agreement states that “Azerbaijan guarantees traffic safety along the Lachin Corridor of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions.” 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan defended the move in a statement, calling it a “legitimate national security decision.” It accused Armenia of using the Berdzor Corridor to transport military weaponry and personnel to Artsakh. 

Azerbaijani authorities have long accused Armenia, as well as the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Artsakh, of using the Berdzor Corridor to deliver military equipment. They have not provided any evidence for this claim. Azerbaijani leadership has cited this accusation to justify previous escalations and military advances in Artsakh in the past months. 

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry denied that its government had violated the ceasefire agreement. It said that installing a border checkpoint “does not create changes in the traffic regime on the road.” It also denied that the Berdzor Corridor has been under blockade since December, stating that there are “appropriate conditions for transparent, safe and orderly passage” for the Armenians of Artsakh. 

Artsakh authorities have directly called on Russia to prevent the creation of a checkpoint along the Berdzor Corridor. The corridor falls under the control of Russian peacekeepers, who were in close proximity to the Hakari bridge at the time of its closure by Azerbaijani forces. 

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry said that it expects an “unequivocal and adequate response and effective measures” from the wider international community and “first of all, the Russian Federation.” 

Advisor to the Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan was even more direct, stating that Azerbaijan had been able to install a checkpoint because of the failure of the Russian peacekeeping forces to prevent the blockade. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia further called on Russia to “finally fulfill the obligation” under the ceasefire and end the blockade of the Berdzor Corridor. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry also called on the United Nations to “take effective steps toward the unconditional implementation of the decision of the ICJ [International Court of Justice].” 

On February 22, the ICJ ruled that Azerbaijan must guarantee free movement along the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor. 

Russia’s Foreign Ministry did not mention the checkpoint in a statement it released this week expressing “great concern over the situation in Artsakh.” The statement repeatedly appealed to “both sides,” calling on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to abide by the ceasefire agreement. It called unacceptable any steps toward “the unapproved modification of the mode of operation of the Lachin Corridor or attempts to use it for purposes not meeting the peaceful agenda.” 

The United States and France released sharper statements, criticizing Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint on the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor. They both called for free movement of people and commerce along the route. 

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe announced this week that its rapporteur on “addressing the humanitarian consequences of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor,” Paul Gavan, will visit Armenia, Azerbaijan and Artsakh to document the situation along the corridor.

“Azerbaijan alleges systematic and large-scale misuse of the Lachin road for illicit purposes, contrary to the Trilateral Statement of 10 November 2020, which it claims constitute security threats. Without accessing the area, it is not possible to verify these claims,” Gavan said. “On the other hand, the suffering of the inhabitants in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the resulting serious humanitarian crisis, has already been well-documented.”

WATERTOWN, Mass. — Local chapters throughout the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) hosted an impressive array of commemorative events and garnered unprecedented regional awareness for the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide throughout the month of April, culminating on April 24 – the international day of justice for the Armenian Genocide. 

Activists from across the eastern region stressed the importance of this year’s commemoration in particular, as it was marked amidst a blockade on Artsakh, which has been ongoing since December 12, 2022. The commemorations, proclamations and events throughout the month of April have shed light on the continuation of genocide linking Ottoman Turkey’s treatment and annihilation of the Armenian people to Azerbaijan’s current genocidal behavior against Artsakh – home to indigenous Armenians for millenia. 

“On behalf of the ANCA-ER board and staff, I am incredibly touched by the work of the ANCA-ER activists,” expressed ANCA Eastern Region Board chair Dr. Ara Chalian. “Every year, our activists plan commemorative events to underscore the importance of raising awareness of the internationally recognized Armenian Genocide; but this year, they went even further to sound the alarm on the humanitarian disaster impacting the Armenians in Artsakh as we speak. Our activists empowered their fellow Armenians in the homeland by garnering the support of federal, state and city-level governments who issued proclamations, gave speeches, made commitments, statements for the congressional record, hosted educational events, community outreach and so many more initiatives – initiatives that are heartfelt and impactful,” he concluded. 

Forty-two proclamations were issued from states such as Illinois (8), Massachusetts (8), Michigan (9), New Hampshire (4), New Jersey (3), New York (1), North Carolina (3), Rhode Island (5) and Ohio (1). 

ANC of New York and Albany activists joined State Senator Andrew Gounardes at the New York State Capitol to witness a legislative resolution marking April 24, 2023, as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in the State of New York. Pictured left to right: Sonia Sukljian, Betty Minassian, Niree Kaprielian, Antranig Karageozian, New York State Senator Gounardes, Vincent Nasri, Ani Tchaghlasian, Nairi Diratsouian

On the heels of US recognition of the Armenian Genocide by legislative and executive branches, as well as the 50 US states, these proclamations are a testament to the importance of creating awareness of the Armenian Genocide and the current danger facing the Armenian nation today.

Thanks to the efforts of the ANC of Granite City, the Granite City City Council issued a proclamation on April 18, 2023, establishing a friendship city between Granite City, Illinois and Ashan, Republic of Artsakh. Pictured left to right: Steve Hagopian, Mayor of Granite City Mike Parkinson, Stephen Hagopian and Der Taniel Manjikian.

Of the 42 proclamations, 35 were signed by cities: Warren, Birmingham City, Sterling Heights, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Livonia, Detroit, Hazel Park, North Chicago, Lincolnwood, Waukegan, Hoffman Estates, Glenview, Niles, Crystal Lake, Granite City, Boroughs of Fort Lee and Ridgefield, Chelmsford, Andover, Lowell, Billerica, Dracut, Methuen, North Andover, Haverhill, Windham, Salem, Manchester, Nashua, Asheville, Fayetteville, Xenia, North Providence and Cranston. Three were signed by governors of the states of Michigan, North Carolina and Rhode Island. Three were signed by state bodies in the New York State Senate and Rhode Island State House of Representatives and Senate. 

Armenian National Committee of America Honoree Jasper Bedrossian speaks at Cranston, Rhode Island Armenian Genocide Commemoration and Flag Raising about his parents, Agape and Hampartsum Bedrossians who were the children of survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

Five of the region’s ANCs also hosted flag raisings, including the ANC of Illinois’ flag raisings in North Chicago and Waukegan, the ANC of New Jersey’s flag raisings in the Borough of Fort Lee, and the ANC of Rhode Island’s flag raisings in North Providence and Cranston. The ANC of Merrimack Valley hosted its third annual flag raising in Lowell (where the inaugural flag raising took place several years ago), Andover, Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Methuen, North Andover, Haverhill and Westford with special guests including Congresswoman Lori Trahan, as well as commemorative flag raisings in coordination with the ANC of New Hampshire in Windham, Salem, Manchester and Nashua. 

Armenian Genocide Commemoration event organized by the ANC of New Jersey in Montvale, New Jersey.

In addition to flag raisings and proclamations, activists with the ANC of Granite City secured a Friendship City agreement between Granite City, Illinois and Ashan, a city in the Republic of Artsakh. The proclamation, spearheaded by Mayor Michael Parkinson, sets the foundation for long-term cooperation between the two cities to exchange ideas about the future of Artsakh. 

Armenian Genocide informational display organized in the Bar Harbor Library in Bar Harbor, Maine, spearheaded by the ANC of Maine.

Along the lines of education and cultural awareness, activists from the ANCs of Maine and Michigan created a display in the Bar Harbor Library in Maine and Farmington Community Library to educate the community about the Armenian Genocide with an emphasis on the vital role that Ambassador Henry Morgenthau played in the US response during the Armenian Genocide. 

ANC of Michigan worked with local libraries, such as the Farmington Community Library, in the Metro Detroit area to set up book displays about the Armenian Genocide during the month of April.

“I get the pleasure of working alongside the activists throughout the ANCA-ER on a daily basis and am in awe of their commitment and dedication,” said ANCA-ER Legislative and Community Affairs director Nairi Diratsouian. “The survival of the Armenian nation hangs in the balance as we watch the events of genocide unfold right before our very eyes in Artsakh. Together as a region, we commemorated the events of the past and laid a foundation for the future – a future in which no injustice against the Armenian nation will go unpunished,” she concluded.

The local chapters of the ANCA-ER remain dedicated to advocating for Artsakh and Armenia and furthering Armenian Genocide education to ensure that the cycle of violence and the perpetuation of genocide does not continue.

The ANCA-ER thanks its sponsors, co-sponsors, advocates and volunteers for their continued support and dedication to the cause of furthering Hai Tahd and raising awareness for Armenian issues in the United States and abroad.