On Thursday, Donald Trump targeted Kamala Harris over the issue of displaced Armenian Christians claiming ‘Christians around the world will not be safe’ if Harris is President of the United States. Trump wrote on Truth Social: “Kamala Harris did NOTHING as 120,000 Armenian Christians were horrifically persecuted and forcibly displaced in Artsakh. Christians around the World will not be safe if Kamala Harris is President of the United States. When I am President, I will protect persecuted Christians, I will work to stop the violence and ethnic cleansing, and we will restore PEACE between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
What is Trump talking about?
The crisis in Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is rooted in a long-standing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over territorial and ethnic claims. The region, while internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, has a predominantly ethnic Armenian and Christian population. This has made it a crucial aspect of Armenian identity, with deep religious and cultural significance.
Tensions over Artsakh date back to the early 20th century but escalated following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The First Nagorno-Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994 resulted in Armenians gaining control over the region, despite it being officially part of Azerbaijan. This led to decades of uneasy peace, with the region largely administered by Armenians while being surrounded by Azerbaijani territory.
In 2020, Azerbaijan, supported by Turkey, launched a military offensive to retake control of Nagorno-Karabakh. This six-week war ended in a Russian-brokered ceasefire, with Azerbaijan reclaiming large parts of the territory. The war displaced tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians, many of whom fled to Armenia. Russian peacekeepers were deployed to monitor the ceasefire, but tensions remained high.
The situation worsened in 2022 when Azerbaijan blockaded the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. This blockade cut off essential supplies such as food, medicine, and fuel to the Armenian population in the region. International observers and human rights organisations have condemned this as a deliberate attempt to starve out the Armenian Christians, effectively forcing them to leave their homeland.
Despite international calls to lift the blockade, including a ruling from the International Court of Justice, Azerbaijan has continued to maintain its control over the region and restrict access. The blockade has led to severe humanitarian conditions, with many Armenians unable to access basic necessities. As a result, over 100,000 Armenians have fled Artsakh, with many seeking refuge in Armenia.
International experts have described Azerbaijan’s actions as ethnic cleansing, using starvation and psychological pressure to push Armenians out of Nagorno-Karabakh. Some have even suggested that this could amount to genocide, as Azerbaijan appears intent on erasing the Armenian presence from the region altogether.
For those displaced, the prospects of returning to their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh seem increasingly unlikely. Azerbaijan’s control of the region, coupled with the ongoing blockade, has created a sense of hopelessness among the Armenian population. Many fear that Artsakh’s rich Christian heritage, including its ancient churches and cultural sites, could be lost as Azerbaijan solidifies its control.
What role has the US played?
The United States has played a complicated role in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, involving both diplomatic efforts and humanitarian assistance, though its actions have drawn criticism from various quarters.
Diplomatic Mediation
For years, the U.S. has been a part of the Minsk Group, which was established to mediate the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Along with Russia and France, the U.S. aimed to bring about a peaceful resolution to the territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. However, despite these efforts, the Minsk Group has not succeeded in finding a lasting solution, and the conflict has flared up repeatedly, most notably in 2020 when Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, launched a major offensive to reclaim parts of the region. After the war, the U.S. participated in diplomatic efforts to maintain a fragile ceasefire and urged further peace talks.
Humanitarian Assistance
As the conflict escalated and resulted in mass displacement, especially during and after the 2020 war, the U.S. government provided humanitarian aid to help those affected. Agencies such as USAID have worked to assist Armenian refugees displaced by the conflict. Following the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which cut off supplies to the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh, U.S. officials repeatedly called for Azerbaijan to lift the blockade and allow for the delivery of essential goods. However, these diplomatic efforts have had limited success in easing the humanitarian crisis.
Criticism of U.S. Aid to Azerbaijan
A contentious aspect of U.S. involvement has been its continued military and economic assistance to Azerbaijan, even as the country has been accused of ethnic cleansing and other aggressive actions against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Critics argue that this aid, while intended for security purposes, has indirectly enabled Azerbaijan’s policies, including its blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which many see as a form of ethnic cleansing aimed at pushing Armenians out of the region.
Calls for Stronger Action
There has been increasing pressure on the U.S. to take a tougher stance against Azerbaijan. Some advocates have called for the U.S. to invoke Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which restricts assistance to Azerbaijan in response to its aggression against Armenia. This provision has been waived in recent years, allowing the U.S. to continue providing aid to Azerbaijan. However, critics argue that the U.S. needs to apply more pressure, possibly through sanctions or other punitive measures, to stop the humanitarian crisis and the forced displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.