The Los Angeles City Council members have announced a dedication ceremony on Thursday to rename a Westside intersection as “Republic of Artsakh Square.” This effort aims to bring attention to the Azerbaijan blockade of Artsakh and its consequences.
Leading the ceremony will be Council President Paul Krekorian, accompanied by Councilwoman Traci Park, whose Eleventh District encompasses the newly designated Artsakh Square, and Robert Avetisyan, the permanent representative of the Republic of Artsakh to the United States.
The council had agreed in May to designate the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Granville Avenue as Artsakh Square as a tribute to the embattled region that holds significant meaning for the vast Armenian community in L.A. As the Department of Transportation was in the process of completing the street signs, the dedication ceremony was put on hold until now.
Interestingly, the designated intersection is also where the Los Angeles consulate of Azerbaijan is located.
Council President Paul Krekorian expressed his concerns when the council approved the renaming of the intersection, stating, “Azerbaijan’s dictator has openly threatened genocide and the expulsion of all Armenians from the territories he claims. This once again endangers the existence of the Armenian people in their ancient homeland.”
Krekorian previously accused President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan’s regime of a systematic effort to erase the history of Armenians in their ancestral homeland over the past 25 years. He noted that this campaign has intensified since Aliyev’s occupation of Artsakh’s territory in 2020.
The Republic of Artsakh, formerly known as the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, emerged as a democratic state following its secession from the Soviet Union. It is geographically surrounded by Azerbaijan and can only be accessed through the Lachin Corridor, which is now being cut off by Azerbaijani armed forces.
Although the Nagorno Karabakh Republic is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Armenians refer to it as Artsakh.
The Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles has accused Armenia of committing atrocities on its land.
Former Consul General Nasimi Aghayev stated last year, “In the early 1990s, Armenia invaded and ethnically cleansed 20% of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory without facing any consequences. Over 1 million Azerbaijanis were forcibly displaced from their lands, including 800,000 from occupied districts of Azerbaijan and 250,000 from Armenia. In 2020, Azerbaijan liberated its territories from Armenia’s illegal and United Nations-condemned occupation. During the war, Armenia bombed our major cities, even resorting to the banned use of cluster munitions, resulting in the deaths of 101 Azerbaijani civilians, including 12 infants and children. Additionally, 423 civilians were wounded, and 80,000 were displaced.”
