U.S. says won’t tolerate Karabakh ethnic cleansing

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States will not tolerate any action – short-term or long-term – to ethnically cleanse or commit any other atrocities against the Armenian people of Nagorno Karabakh, the acting U.S. Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim told a hearing initiated by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday, September 14.

“The current humanitarian situation is not acceptable. Humanitarian access through the Lachin corridor and other routes must be available now. We will do everything possible to make that happen and we look forward to continuing to work to make that happen,” Kim stated, however, not referring to Azerbaijan as the perpetrator of what many experts have called a genocide in progress, Asbarez reports.

She did reiterate the State Department’s talking point that “the rights and security of ethnic Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be protected.”

“We should be mindful that the war is not over between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which adds urgency to our commitment to try to support a durable and dignified peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the State Department official said.

“This is an essential element of durable and dignified peace agreement. Azerbaijan must provide internationally verifiable assurances of respect for their rights and their ability to remain in their homes without fear,” Kim said.

Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population. On August 15, Karabakh Human Rights Defender’s office reported the first case of death from starvation.