284th day of Azerbaijan’s blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh

Statement of Global ARM President Timothy Jemal Regarding Azerbaijan’s Attack on Nagorno-Karabakh The imposition of the so-called “cease-fire” agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh coerced through starvation and military aggression is illegitimate. Make no mistake: Aliyev and Putin joined together on this cowardice attack. Azerbaijan provided Russia with information prior to the attack and Russia openly and preemptively blamed Armenia for Azerbaijan’s attack on Nagorno-Karabakh. Aliyev ignored the International Court of Justice decisions and repeated calls from Secretary of State Blinken and other global leaders to reject violence, hatred and blockades against Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. In his September 6 testimony before The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Founding ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo called Azerbaijan’s actions even prior to these attacks genocide. In her September 14 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ambassador Yuri Kim said “the United States will not countenance any action or effort— short-term or long-term—to ethnically cleanse or commit other atrocities against the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh”. In fact, Ambassador Luis Bono was in Yerevan and Baku this past week purportedly pushing for the end of blockades and non-violent solutions. Baku once again defied United States by blatantly ignoring our position. Armenia declared that it is not Russia’s ally when it comes to the Ukraine war, and has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine, only to be subjected to serious threats by Moscow; the massacres in Nagorno-Karabakh has all the hallmarks of retribution by the Moscow-Baku alliance. This is clear Russo-Azerbaijani retribution for the military exercises that Armenia conducted with U.S. forces. Aliyev initiated this attack while American soldiers were still on the ground in Armenia. Nagorno Karabakh has become a black box with almost no communication or connection with the outside world. There are thousands of missing people in Nagorno Karabakh. Many family members cannot find each other: parents cannot find their children, children cannot find their parents, sisters cannot find their brothers…Residential areas are cut off from each other, people’s fates are unknown. In addition to all this, there is a lack of food, communication, electricity, gas, medicine and basic necessities of life, all of which increasing the sufferings of people. Azerbaijan is intermittently cutting internet connection so that the atrocities they are committing occur in the dark including killing children. Because of lack of communication, finding out whether family members have been killed is particularly difficult. Azerbaijan continues denying access to USAID, NGOs, civil society groups and UN special rapporteurs. What is clear is that under no circumstances can the Armenian people of Artsakh live safely and freely under the rule of Azerbaijan. Over a century of evidence has documented harassment, discrimination, cultural and religious desecration and genocide by Azerbaijan. Putin and Aliyev also seek the destruction of Armenia. Both of these despots want a weak, non-democratic vassal state like Belarus. And with the full-backing of Turkey’s Erdogan, Armenia’s existence a democratic, pluralistic society is under serious threat. These developments seriously harm U.S. interests in the South Caucasus region. More importantly, there is a duty to prevent this genocide. The following 10 actions must be undertaken immediately:

1. UN Security Council Resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s military aggression and demanding immediate access to Nagorno-Karabakh by the UN (including UNESCO), ICRC and International NGOs
2. Similar to UN Resolution 244 in Kosovo, immediately authorize an international security presence in Nagorno-Karabakh
3. USAID gaining access to Nagorno-Karabakh to conduct a humanitarian assistance assessment
4. Statement from President Biden condemning Azerbaijan’s attack and reaffirming the long-held view of the U.S. government that there is a duty to prevent genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh and that there will be no lasting peace in Nagorno-Karabakh under a military solution
5. International mediation between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan with genuine rights and securities for Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is hostage taking for Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to negotiate with Aliyev without international mediation
6. Sweeping sanctions against the government of Azerbaijan including OFAC and Magnitsky sanctions on government leaders and companies in Azerbaijan
7. Immediate suspension of all U.S. security assistance to Azerbaijan
8. Unconditional and immediate withdrawal of Azerbaijani security forces and military installations from the Republic of Armenia
9. Unconditional and immediate release of all Armenian POWs from Azerbaijani custody
10. Emergency security assistance to Armenia