To the people of the Republic of Artsakh, for whom I have profound affection and deep respect

Thank you to ARTSAKH PRESS

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 5, ARTSAKHPRESS: The letter is presented below:

''To the people of the Republic of Artsakh, for whom I have profound affection and deep respect.

'I write to you today because 120,000 innocent civilians face an existential crisis. Conditions are now present for genocide against the Armenian Christians of Artsakh.

Your people have suffered, and continue to suffer, the most serious international crimes. I have personally witnessed the results of massacres, atrocities and forced displacement.

Yet the world has chosen to turn a deaf ear to your suffering. Even your closest international allies have either not paid attention to, or ignored, the warning signs of genocide.

During this darkest hour, I stand in solidarity with the Armenians of Artsakh. I have great confidence in your ability to overcome this crisis with courage, fortitude, sacrifice and love – not only will you survive but you will create beauty from the ashes of destruction.

I am told that I have visited the Republic of Artsakh 88 times since 1990. I have been privileged to experience the love of your history and your rich culture of music, dance and art – all within the context of the breathtaking beauty of your land’s rugged mountains, thick forests, fertile valleys and crystal rivers. I have been blessed to meet a host of wonderful people, many the direct descendants of victims of the Great Genocide in Anatolia, or themselves victims of anti Armenian pogroms in Sumgait and Baku, and ethnic-religious cleansing in Artsakh.

I am struck by the unanimity with which they share a simple common goal: it is to live in peace, dignity and security in their own historic land. This longing continues to fill my heart. I always carry with me the memory of a young woman I met in a hospital in Martakert in 1992, after I had visited the village of Maragha, which had just been subjected to a massacre inflicted by Azerbaijan.

Blockade of the Lachin Pass

By Golden - This PNG graphic was created
with Medibang. See Credit below.

Blockade of the Lachin Pass

Trying to catch up with Caroline these days is at times a challenge for me, I have been providing parliamentary reserach and opinion / advice for over seven years and this website now in its fith year on voluntary basis. 

Have included this below from House of Commons Library Parliamentary research team published 18th Jan 2023. Link at the end for the full report. Have done my best. (AH)

Closure of the Lachin Corridor and the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh

The Lachin C orridor is the only transport link between Armenia and the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. Under the terms of the November 2020 ceasefire agreement, Russian peacekeepers patrol the corridor, while Azerbaijan is obliged to guarantee safe passage, in both directions, for civilians, vehicles and cargo.

In early December 2022 the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology made a statement suggesting that natural resources were being illegally mined in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and asked Russian peacekeepers to monitor the situation. Azerbaijani civilians blocked the Lachin Corridor in a protest which lasted for several hours until an agreement was reached between the Commander of Russia’s peacekeeping forces in the region and the Azerbaijani government to allow Azerbaijani officials to carry out inspections at the mines in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani officials reportedly visited the mines on 10 December but were denied access by Armenia. In protest, on 12 December a group of Azerbaijani’s claiming to be environmental activists once again bypassed Russian checkpoints and set up tents on the main road effectively blocking the Lachin Corridor.

Happy New Year to all my friends and readers!

Baroness Cox wishing you all a Happy New Year to all her friends and readers -

Baroness Cox Sends Urgent Letter Sent to Secretary of State regarding Nagorno Karabakh

Baroness Cox Sends Urgent Letter Sent to Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs regarding Nagorno Karabakh.

The letter from Baroness Caroline Cox and Dr John Eibner, International President of Christian Solidarity International (CSI), urges the UK Government to use its favour with Azerbaijan immediately to cease its policies of inflicting this intense suffering on the Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh.

We encourage our supporters and followers to write to their MPs, urging the UK Government to take action.

Here also is an article in NEWSWEEK written by SHEILA PAYLAN , HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER
ON 12/14/22 AT 10:47 AM EST

(Please ensure you read the full article provided on the link below)

Since Monday, 120,000 ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave have been held under siege as Azerbaijan has blocked the humanitarian Lachin corridor, their only link to Armenia and the outside world, and cut off their gas supply as temperatures plummet to freezing levels.

This marks a dangerous new phase in the south Caucasus: recent events have put paid to the high hopes that existed when a Russian-brokered ceasefire ended the brutal six-week war launched by Azerbaijan in September 2020 (that included hell raining from drones in the sky).

Merry Christmas Everyone

 

Caroline also would like to thank all her readers here and the growing number of followers on social media and all their support during what has been a very challenging year for everyone.