“We must clearly demonstrate our commitment to freedom by helping the people of Artsakh” – Los Angeles Mayor

Mayor of Los Angeles Karen Bass calls for an end to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

“I stand with the Armenian community here in Los Angeles calling for an end to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. We must clearly demonstrate our commitment to freedom by helping the people of Artsakh. This is a crisis and will only get worse with inaction. Lives are at stake,” Mayor Karen Bass tweeted.

Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked since 12 December 2022. The Lachin Corridor is the only road connecting Artsakh with Armenia and the rest of the world. The closure resulted in 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh being isolated and deprived from the right to freedom of movement. Nearly all grocery stores and pharmacies are empty amid widespread shortages of essential items because the road is the only supply route. Hundreds of families were separated and are unable to return to their loved ones.

The blockade is organized by the Azerbaijani authorities under the fake pretext of an environmental demonstration demanding access to a mine for inspection.  Furthermore, many of the self-described environmentalists blocking the road have been identified as military intelligence officers or other state-affiliated agents of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the government of Artsakh said it would halt the operations of the mine operated by Base Metals and invite an international monitoring to inspect the site. However, the road is still blocked by the Azerbaijanis, once again proving that the blockade has nothing to do with any environmental campaign.

Officials in Armenia and Artsakh have numerously warned that by blocking the road Azerbaijan wants to cause a humanitarian catastrophe and commit ethnic cleansing against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.