The United States government has been urged to step in and address the worsening humanitarian situation in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
This plea comes in the form of a letter penned by businesswoman and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, along with Armenian activist Eric Esrailian, in an op-ed for Rolling Stone directly addressed to U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday, September 8.
“The silence or hesitancy by individuals, governments, and governmental organizations like the United Nations and the European Union has perpetuated this crisis,” wrote Kardashian, as reported by The National on Saturday, September 9.
“Every day, more lives are at risk,” continued the Armenian heritage artist, urging Biden to prevent another genocide in her ancestral country.
Kardashian had traveled to Yerevan in 2019 to support international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In 2020, she announced a $1 million donation to the Armenia Fund.
“We are descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, and we do not want to discuss the recognition or commemoration of another genocide in the future,” Kardashian wrote.
Her comments come amid an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region.
Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, despite being predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians.
The region became a battleground between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020, resulting in the deaths of over 7,000 soldiers and civilians.
Azerbaijan has blockaded the region since December of last year and established military checkpoints in the Lachin Corridor.
The United Nations Security Council discussed the blockade in August after a former prosecutor for the International Criminal Court suggested that it might constitute “genocide” against the Armenian population. Lawyers representing Azerbaijan dismissed the claim as unfounded and inaccurate.
The International Association of Genocide Scholars also recently warned of the risk of genocide against the Armenian population in the region.
“As citizens, we implore leaders such as President Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and their colleagues to take action immediately,” Kardashian wrote.
“They must pressure Azerbaijan to open the corridor without preconditions,” she added.
Blinken expressed concern over the situation in a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev last week. He reiterated his call for the Lachin Corridor to be reopened for humanitarian, commercial, and passenger traffic, acknowledging the importance of additional routes from Azerbaijan.
