Adam Schiff, member of the US House of Representatives, will meet Armenian-Americans protesting in support of Nagorno-Karabakh at the end of the week. The Congressman agreed to speak with them after they blocked streets overnight in Burbank and Glendale, California. It is not yet clear where and in what format the meeting will take place.
Davit Mnatsakanyan (participant of the protests in the USA) - In the current situation, it is scheduled for Friday. We will inform about the rest after we have more precise information.
Armenian-Americans started protests a few days ago to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis created in Nagorno-Karabakh due to the closure of the Lachin Corridor. The Democratic Congressman was first contacted by letter. The answer did not satisfy them. Protesters expect action to follow the US Congressman's words.
Davit Mnatsakanyan - Our demand is quite clear: he undertakes to come to Armenia before September 15, and then to Artsakh, personally see the situation, understand the situation and help to get involved together with the US elite so that the aid reaches the people of Artsakh.
Ardy Kassakhian (Mayor of Glendale) - Any important struggle does not go forward in an easy way, the way is difficult, it takes a long time. Today I saw how the road was closed in Glendale, right in the heart of Glendale. And I wondered what difficulties people might have to get to their homes or work, at the same time I wondered what our compatriots in Artsakh went through for more than 200 days, waiting for the country's the powers that always promise to stand with Armenians, keep their word. Our goal is also to get help from Glendale, since we have the city of Martuni as a sister city, and hopefully we will do it in a few days.
Demonstrators started the protest in Burbank, near Adam Schiff's office, sat down near his house, and marched to Glendale. During that time, traffic on the central streets was paralyzed for about 4 hours.
Davit Mnatsakanyan - We walked the streets, covered, informed the public, raised Artsakh's demand, which is the right to national self-determination.
Even after receiving the agreement to meet with Adam Schiff, the protesters decided to stay near his office until then.
On August 8, Adam Schiff wrote on Facebook that since the day the Lachin Corridor was blocked, he and his colleagues in Congress called on the White House, the State Department and the International Development Agency to take measures to protect the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and their right to self-determination. The Congressman added that he also called on President Biden to take immediate steps to resolve the difficult situation.
According to Schiff, the US should use all its tools to ensure the security of NK, including providing humanitarian aid to NK, ending military and other aid to Azerbaijan, and imposing sanctions on those responsible for the crisis.
