On February 23, 2023, the Union of State, Local Government and Public Service Employees of Armenia (USLGPSEA) concluded its 8th Congress.
The Congress adopted, among others, a statement regarding the orchestrated blockade of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic.
Below is the full statement.
Statement of the USLGPSEA 8th Congress on the blockade of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)
For already more than two months individuals sponsored by Azerbaijani authorities keep the Lachin corridor blocked because of the indolence of the Russian convoy deployed in the area. As a result, 120 000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are left under the blockade. The population is left without food, essential products, healthcare, a stable energy supply, and right of movement. A lot of families are forcefully separated with the inability to return their homes. Another humanitarian catastrophe is looming is South Caucasus. Despite all diplomatic efforts, calls by world leaders and governments, resolutions and statements released through the UN Security Council, OSCE and other intergovernmental organizations, warnings of international human rights organizations, the blockade continues and there is no positive expectations regarding the situation.
The development is not only aims to put political pressure on Armenia, but also undermines the ongoing democratic procedures, de-prioritize the socio-economic reforms, worsens the moral and mental state of the workers.
For more than the 70 days of the blockade, unfortunately, we did not receive any signals from the civil society and worker’s community of Azerbaijan with condemnations of this blockade, which means the society and trade unions of Azerbaijan support the crimes against humanity conducted by their leadership, thus, becoming complicit in the perpetration of the ethnic cleansing.
The more the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh continues, more impossible it will be to ever reach the peace and stability in the region.
The Congress of the Union of State, Local Government and Public Service Employees of Armenia:
- Condemns in strongest possible terms the behavior of the Azerbaijani authorities and the idleness of Russian patrols that led to the humanitarian crisis in the region and to the isolation of the Nagorno-Karabakh residents.
- Calls on international trade unions to put a pressure on their Azerbaijanian affiliates, so they also condemn their government for orchestrating a humanitarian crisis.
- Calls on our international trade union partners to express the solidarity with the 120 000 Armenian population and condemn the closure of the Lachin corridor – the only road that connect them with Armenia.
23 February 2023
Yerevan, Armenia
You can also download the statement here.