WASHINGTON — On August 16, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urging her to introduce a UN resolution calling for an immediate end to Azerbaijan’s eight-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, including allowing unfettered humanitarian access to Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
As the government of Azerbaijan threatens to ethnically cleanse the people of Nagorno-Karabakh through starvation and actively deprive them of fuel necessary for emergency response efforts and other essential goods, the Senators are calling on the United Nations to act immediately according to the mandate in its Charter.
“For eight months Azerbaijan has gradually tightened a blockade meant to deprive Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh access to essential goods, including food and medicine. On June 15, Azerbaijan effectively shut down the delivery of all critical humanitarian assistance, leading to severe consequences for the tens of thousands of people living there including children, the elderly, and other residents with illnesses and disabilities,” wrote the Senators.
“In your capacity as the President of the UN Security Council for August 2023, we ask that you work with all UNSC members to pressure the Azerbaijani government to lift the blockade and prevent what the evidence suggests is a coordinated effort to ethnically cleanse the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” continued the Senators.
Padilla has previously denounced Azerbaijan’s inhumane blockade of the Lachin Corridor, a vital lifeline that connects the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) with Armenia. Padilla recently introduced a bipartisan Senate resolution alongside Senators Menendez and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), condemning the government of Azerbaijan for its blockade of the Lachin Corridor and urging the United States to take immediate steps to end the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
