The root cause here is the Turkish-Azeri desire to establish a Turkish-dominated region from Central Asia to Anatolia. Armenia, and Artsakh, are in the way. This blockade and the possible genocide to come have numerous parallels in history. If you ever wonder what ever happened to the Christians of North Africa and other regions of what is now known as the Islamic world, the short answer is that what happened to them was something like this.
“UN Security Council convenes emergency meeting on Artsakh blockade,” by Lillian Avedian, Armenian Weekly, August 16, 2023:
Armenia called on the United Nations to prevent genocide in blockaded Artsakh during an emergency meeting convened by the U.N. Security Council today.
“I do believe that this distinguished body, despite geopolitical differences, has the capacity to act as a genocide prevention body and not a genocide commemoration body when it might be too late,” Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.
The meeting was scheduled following an appeal from the government of Armenia to address the “deterioration of the humanitarian situation” in Artsakh. Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh has been ongoing since December 12, 2022, when government-sponsored protesters posing as eco-activists closed the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor, the sole route connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world. The blockade was tightened on April 23, 2023, when Azerbaijan set up an illegal military checkpoint along the corridor, placing all movement between Armenia and Artsakh under the control of Azerbaijani border guards.
Artsakh leadership and international actors have warned that the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh is deteriorating significantly. Food, medicine and other basic supplies, which were already limited due to the blockade, have dwindled since Azerbaijani border guards barred deliveries of humanitarian aid in mid-June, which were previously supplied by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Russian peacekeeping mission. Azerbaijan has also blocked the ICRC from transporting patients requiring medical assistance to Armenia several times in the past two months.
Several U.N. Security Council member countries called for the immediate resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries to Artsakh by the ICRC.
“It is incumbent on the parties not to impede or politicize any principled humanitarian efforts,” said Edem Wosornu, the director of operations and advocacy of the U.N. Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. “Responding to humanitarian needs is not an act of legitimization of recognition. It does not take sides, and it does not yield to political influence,” Wosornu said, calling for humanitarian aid deliveries “through any available routes.”
The Azerbaijani government has proposed delivering humanitarian assistance to Artsakh via its territory through the Azerbaijani-controlled city Agdam. Artsakh’s leadership has rejected this offer, stating that there can be no alternative to reopening the Berdzor Corridor.
Several member countries noted the possibility of delivering humanitarian aid via Agdam during today’s U.N. Security Council meeting. Dmitry Polyanskiy, deputy permanent representative of Russia to the U.N., said his country supports the use of alternative routes for the delivery of humanitarian aid, particularly the “opening of a parallel corridor through Agdam and Lachin for the movement of civilians and cargo.”
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the U.N., acknowledged the “possibility of compromise on additional routes for humanitarian supplies.” “Neutral, impartial, humane and independent humanitarian access and assistance, including medical transfers, must not be hindered, full stop,” she said.
Silvio Gonzato, deputy head of the European Union delegation to the U.N., said that the EU has “taken note of the expressed readiness of Azerbaijani authorities to supply goods via the city Agdam. However, this should not be seen as an alternative to the opening of the Lachin Corridor.”
Yashar Aliyev, permanent representative of Azerbaijan to the U.N., accused Armenia of rejecting the offer to deliver goods through Agdam, which he called evidence of Armenia’s “political hypocrisy.” “If Armenia were genuinely concerned about ordinary residents of the region, it would have never objected to the usage of the Agdam-Khankendi [Stepanakert] road,” Aliyev said.
He claimed that international actors, including Russian peacekeepers and the ICRC, had reached an agreement to open traffic along this road. However, the agreement did not materialize due to Armenia’s objections.
Mirzoyan said that there is “no alternative” to the Lachin Corridor, which he called the “agreed link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”…
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Sadly for Armenia, they have no allies. I normally never criticize Israel, but in this case, I would, for taking Azerbaijan’s side. Russia is busy trying to wean Turkey away from the Western alliance, and actually prefers Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan, just like the Soviets did. NATO is… well, still stupid enough to think that Turkey is an ally
I do hope that diplomatically, Greece, Serbia, Cyprus and India rally on Armenia’s side, and that India sells Armenia as much military hardware that they can and arm Yerevan to the teeth. Turkey and Azerbaijan may protest, but India should ignore them, since both are allies of Pakistan
GreekEmpress says
+1
The Istanbulian says
Sorry Armenians, you are natives on native land; not Palestinians are colonized land.
You are up the crick with out a paddle
Bexarkat says
This will fall on deaf ears as it involves Turkish Empire.
GreekEmpress says
+1
GreekEmpress says
If aid goes through Agdam, I doubt Armenians will ever see it.
Erdogan won’t rest until he’s exterminated the rest of the Armenians. Then he’ll go after the rest of Cyprus, or maybe Crete, Greece, or the Balkans.
Not sure in which order.
And Western nations will yawn.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
All countries should form a new military alliance and arm themselves to the teeth. The ones who are members of NATO – Greece – should withdraw from NATO, & commit to just this alliance. All members should multi-source their weaponry from US, Russia, Israel and India. And declare Turkey and its Turkic allies their stated enemies
Burnaby Lad says
Erdogan knows China will invade Russia.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
They can just walk in: much of Siberia is empty. Although they’d have to be wary of Moscow nuking them