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Politics Sep 27, 2022
Map of the internationally recognised Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, marked in red. | Photo by Golden (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a motion Tuesday condemning the country of Azerbaijan for the flare-up of military conflict with its neighbor, Armenia.
Introduced by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn, the motion directs the board to send a letter to U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and members of the House Armenian Caucus thanking them for their support and recent visit to Armenia.
The motion also calls for the board to send a letter to Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, and the entire Los Angeles County congressional delegation supporting House Resolution 1351, which asks President Joe Biden to end all assistance to Azerbaijan, expresses American support for Armenia, calls for humanitarian aid for Armenia and people in Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh and calls for an immediate ceasefire.
“My supervisorial district is home to the largest population of Armenians outside of Armenia,” Barger said in a statement after the vote. “I introduced this motion to show support for my constituents’ loved ones and countrymen who have suffered injustice. Unprovoked attacks and military aggression cannot be tolerated. I am a strong believer in democracy and it’s my duty to do whatever is possible to show solidarity with my Armenian constituents.”
A series of clashes erupted along the Azerbaijan-Armenia border earlier this month, resulting in at least 200 deaths. A ceasefire was reportedly reached soon after, but both sides quickly accused the other of breaking the pact.
The conflict follows a 2020 Azerbaijani military offensive to retake the Nagorno-Karabakh region, a disputed, ethnically Armenian territory within Azerbaijan that operates as its own breakaway state, with support from Armenia, called the Republic of Artsakh. In the most recent fighting, Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of not only attacking Armenians inside the disputed territory, but within Armenia’s borders.
The Board of Supervisors previously passed a motion condemning the 2020 Azerbaijani invasion into the Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh region. That resolution was also introduced by Barger and Hahn.
Los Angeles County is home to the largest number of Armenians living outside of Armenia. In 2011, the American Community Survey estimated that there were 214,628 Armenians living in L.A. County.
