Tuesday, August 15 2023 13:28

ArmInfo.U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff has addressed a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden over  the grave humanitarian situation round Artsakh amid the Aerbaijan-  imposed blockade. 

The letter reads: 

"The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The  White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington D.C. 20500 Dear  President Biden.

"Since I wrote to you on June 8 expressing my deep concern over  Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road  connecting Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to the outside world, the  crisis has deteriorated significantly and demands your personal and  immediate attention.

"Since December 2022, the people of Artsakh have been living under  Azerbaijan's illegal blockade with devastating effects, with 120,000  individuals denied access to food, water, medical supplies and  services, gas, and consistent electricity. While previously the  International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was able to provide  limited deliveries of essential food and medicine and facilitate  transport in medical emergencies, Azerbaijan weeks ago cut off access  to even the ICRC. As ICRC stated, "Tens of thousands of people rely  on humanitarian aid reaching them through these routes."

"With this lifeline cut off, the population is completely isolated  and the toll on civilians is escalating rapidly. There is no question  that the situation is now a "dire humanitarian crisis," as stated by  a group of UN experts on August 7.3

"The population of Artsakh is in urgent need of assistance, including  those most vulnerable - pregnant women, children, and the elderly and  disabled. Life-saving medications and baby formula are almost gone.   Health authorities in Artsakh have reported a surge in the disease  incidence and death rate related to malnutrition, lack of medicines,  and lack of emergency medical services/transport. For example, the  level of anemia among pregnant women has reached approximately 90  percent and incidents of fainting due to malnutrition have become  widely reported. The grave consequence is that innocent civilians are  increasingly suffering from malnutrition and facing the imminent  threat of starvation - in accordance with Aliyev's deliberate and  strategic design. At this very moment, a convoy of trucks carrying  400 tons of humanitarian aid is blocked by Azerbaijan and not allowed  to enter Artsakh. These actions are in clear violation of  international law and the 2020 trilateral ceasefire statement. The  August 7 statement by UN experts called for Azerbaijan "to uphold its  international obligations to respect and protect human rights,  including the right to food, health, education and life," and I join  them in that call.

"Though the U.S. government, the European Union, UN experts, and  Russia have condemned the blockade and called for the corridor to be  opened to regular traffic, Azerbaijan has ignored such statements for  months. The U.S. Department of State and USAID have tried to use  diplomacy to put an end to Alivev's blockade of the Lachin Corridor,  but the time for statements and such calls has clearly long passed.  The United States must take concrete actions and immediately use  other tools to press Azerbaiian to retum to compliance with  international law and order. I therefore urge you to take the  following steps:

"  Convene an emergency session of the UN Security Council (UNSC on  the crisis in Artsakh while the United States holds the presidency.  This situation aligns with our country's intention to focus this  session on combating food insecurity and defending human rights and  is an urgent matter demanding UNSC attention. UN Secretary-General  Guterres voiced deep concern over the ongoing blockade and the  deteriorating situation on the ground via an August 2 statement, and  he and UN special rapporteurs have called for action.' It is time for  the UNSC to engage. I agree, as the Armenian government stated in an  August 12 letter, that "the UN Security Council, as a principal body  responsible for maintaining international peace and security, to  prevent mass atrocities including war crimes, ethnic cleansing,  crimes against humanity and genocide," must convene a meeting on this  crisis as soon as possible.

"  Direct the U.S. Mission to the UN to lead a UN Security Council  resolution calling on Azerbaijan to immediately comply with the  orders of the International Court of Justice, providing for the  deployment of a team of UN experts to Artsakh to gather information  and produce an independent report on the human rights and  humanitarian situation, and sanction Azerbaijan for its flagrant  violations of international law and the Universal Declaration of  Human Rights.

"  Direct USAID and the Department of Defense to assess options for  the United States to assist in the delivery of aid to Artsakh by land  or airlift to prevent the very real threat of starvation and avoid  the preventable deaths of innocent civilians.

"  Personally call Alive and urge him to lift the blockade. Warn him  that there will be consequences, including the implementation of  sanctions, visa restrictions, and cutting off U.S. foreign  assistance, should the blockade continue. Many of us in Congress  believe that Azerbaijan should have been cut off from U.S.  aid a  long time ago.

"I stand ready to provide any support to your Administration's  efforts to address this crisis, including facilitating a meeting  between your administration and national Armenian community  stakeholders who can share firsthand accounts of the catastrophic  situation in Artsakh.

"This inhumane and evil campaign to destroy a people is hauntingly  familiar to Armenians, whose ancestors suffered the horror of the  Armenian Genocide 108 years ago. In an expert opinion report released  August 7, former International Criminal Court prosecutor and  international legal expert Luis Moreno campo concluded,

"There is a reasonable basis to believe that a Genocide is being  committed against Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023." He  stated, "The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by the Azerbaijani  security forces impeding access to any food, medical supplies, and  other essentials should be considered a Genocide under Article II,  (c) of the Genocide Convention: Deliberately inflicting on the group  conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical  destruction.' There are no crematories, and there are no machete  attacks. Starvation is the invisible Genocide weapon. Without  immediate dramatic change, this group of Armenians will be destroyed  in a few weeks."

"We have pledged "never again," Mr. President, but today the people  of Artsakh face the real threat of ethnic cleansing and genocide at  the hands of an autocratic Azerbaijani regime. On April 24, 2023,  when Armenians around the world were commemorating the 108th  anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, you powerfully stated. "Here  and around the world, the Armenian people have met the evil of hate  with hope.  They rebuilt their communities. They nurtured their  families and preserved their culture. They strengthened our nation.  They also told their stories and those of their ancestors to remember  and to ensure that genocide like the one that happened 108 years ago  is never again repeated. Today, let us renew this pledge. Let us  recommit to speaking out against hate, standing up for human rights,  and preventing atrocities." Mr.  President, you have been on the  right side of history, have spoken truth to power, and now is the  time to uphold this pledge and stand with the people of Artsakh and  stop another Armenian Genocide from occurring.

"Thank you for your attention to this matter. I stand ready to work  with your Administration in support of the people of Artsakh."