YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — The United States has again called for the immediate reopening of Nagorno-Karabakh’s land link with Armenia which has been blocked by Azerbaijan for the past month.
“The United States remains concerned that the Lachin Corridor has now been blocked for over three weeks, creating a grave humanitarian situation,” Michael Carpenter, the US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) headquarters in Vienna, tweeted over the weekend of January 7-8.
“We thank [the International Committee of the Red Cross] for providing critical aid during this time, but call on Azerbaijan and Russia to restore access immediately,” Carpenter said.
The US Embassy in Yerevan added its voice to the call on Monday, January 9. In written comments, it reiterated the US State Department’s earlier statements that the Azerbaijani blockade “sets back the peace process and undermines international confidence.”
Commenting on the possibility of US humanitarian aid to Karabakh, the embassy said the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is trying to address “the needs of displaced persons in Armenia.” It did not elaborate.
The head of USAID, Samantha Power, spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Friday, January 6. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Mirzoyan said the international community should take “clear steps” to reopen the Lachin corridor and prevent a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Karabakh.
