LA inaugurates Karabakh square near Consulate of Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The official unveiling of street signs designating the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Granville Ave, Los Angeles as Republic of Artsakh Square was held on Thursday, August 31, Public Radio of Armenia reports.

The site is the location of the Consulate of Azerbaijan, the country currently imposing an illegal blockade of Artsakh, depriving its inhabitants of food, medicine and medical care.

LA City Council President Paul Krekorian, LA City Councilmember Traci Parkand Robert Avetisyan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Artsakh to the United States participated in the dedication ceremony.

The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to name a Westside intersection ‘Republic of Artsakh Square’ to raise awareness of Azerbaijan’s dictatorship that has imposed a blockade on Artsakh, threatening 120,000 people with starvation and preventing medical aid, Council President Paul Krekorian said Wednesday.

Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population. On August 15, Karabakh Human Rights Defender’s office reported the first case of death from starvation.