LOS ANGELES — Entrepreneur and activists Kim Kardashian and Dr. Eric Esrailian have sent a message to President Joe Biden in the hopes of preventing another Armenian Genocide.
“WE ARE ARMENIAN. We are the descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors, and we do not want to be talking about the recognition or commemoration of yet another genocide in the future,” they wrote in a piece published by the Rolling Stone.
They reminded that since December of last year, Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh) and the rest of the world, adding that the war in Ukraine has meant some countries have had to rely on Azerbaijan for oil – resulting in using “starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region.”
“There is no more time for thoughts, prayers, or concern,” Kardashian and Esrailian emphasize.
They look back at the war after Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenians in 2020, a move they describe as baseless and unjustified, and say it has “never ended in the minds of Armenians around the world.”
“Despite a ceasefire agreement, the attacks on Armenian soldiers have been constant and without repercussions,” the essay continued.
They also point out that indications of a forthcoming genocide are present as human rights groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross have been blocked, along with “hateful rhetoric accompanying the blockade.”
Stating that “the collective silence or inaction” by people and government entities “has perpetuated the crisis,” the authors call on Biden, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken “to take a stand immediately.” “They must pressure Azerbaijan to open the corridor without preconditions,” they stress.
“We are just two people. We have been working behind the scenes to support our Armenian brothers and sisters, but this diplomatic approach has not yielded meaningful results,” write Kardashian and Esrailian, adding, “This crisis will clearly not be remedied by individuals, but we will continue to do what we can to use whatever influence we have.”
“The people in Artsakh want to live in peace. Now is the time for true leadership. We need for those who have a meaningful role in these affairs to immediately demand that the Lachin Corridor is opened to stop another genocide. We want to draw more attention to the crisis and appeal to those in our own government who truly care about humanity to intervene. The United States has the ability to mobilize a response. Leaders who are effective and help our people will be remembered for their heroism. Even if well-meaning, the ones who are inert and ineffective will be remembered for allowing a genocide to take place under their watch. The choice is theirs,” they conclude.
