US Senate Calls for Humanitarian Aid to Nagorno-Karabakh

The United States must provide aid to Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been affected by a humanitarian crisis. According to Armenpress, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Rob Portman expressed this view in a joint statement. They called on the appropriations committee of the U.S. legislative chamber to allocate funding within the framework of the fiscal year 2021 appropriations bill to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the South Caucasus.

Menendez and Portman emphasized the severity of the crisis and the importance of American assistance. “The humanitarian situation in the South Caucasus is dire and will worsen as winter approaches,” the senators noted. They cited the spread of coronavirus and the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia supported by Turkey, which has caused long-term damage to the region's infrastructure and led to the displacement of over half of Nagorno-Karabakh's ethnic Armenian population, including 90 percent women and children.

The senators pointed out that although military operations may have ceased, the damage continues to result in deaths, particularly in the absence of decisive actions by the international community. They stated that the U.S. should continue its long-standing tradition of providing humanitarian aid to those in greater need, specifically thousands of ethnic Armenians forced to leave their homes or otherwise affected by violence.