American Armenians – The dispute between the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is very alarming and causes warfare. Armenia waving Armenian flags and wearing the colors red-orange and blue colors are protesting at a highway overpass.
In Southern California, Armenians protested to draw attention to the deadly and growing conflict in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Since September 27, the escalating Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has killed hundreds and thousands of displaced people, and American Armenians in southern California have taken to the streets to protest.
In the days and weeks leading up to the announcement of a ceasefire on Friday evening, thousands of people gathered in front of the Azerbaijani consulate in Los Angeles, blocking traffic on highways 101 and 170 highways, marched to Glendale, and they are gathered in front of the CNN and Los Angeles buildings. Times. A crowd closed Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood on Wednesday, and Thursday, many traveled to Washington to protest outside the White House.
In addition to the protest, the Armenian-American community has launched a fundraising and social media campaigns (shared by Kardashians). Some have left or are preparing to leave Southern California with the intention of volunteering and fighting.
All amid a pandemic and a chaotic election in the United States.
Southern California is home to one of the largest Armenian diasporas. The first great wave of immigrants came after escaping the Armenian Genocide of 1915. (The Turkish government disputes that the deaths – estimates range from 600,000 to 1.5 million people killed during the Ottoman Empire – were genocide. )
In 2000, a neighborhood in East Hollywood was designated Little Armenia. Glendale is home to the largest Armenian-American community in the region and significant populations in Burbank, Pasadena, Montebello, and La Crescenta.
Here is the background on how the conflict got to this point and its fallout in Southern California.
What is the history of the conflict?
The small mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus, referred to by Armenians’ historical name, is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. Still, the population of 150,000 is predominantly of Armenian descent.
It is autonomous and receives funding from Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora, which is much larger than the Armenian population, which numbers around 3 million.
“The Caucasus has always been in the middle of three empires,” said Salpi Ghazarian, director of the USC Institute of Armenian Studies. “It used to be the Russian, Ottoman and Persian empires, and now it’s Russia, Turkey, and Iran. In that area of the Caucasus, many ethnic groups have always lived together, one above the other. The boundaries were ever-changing… because everyone was still gerrymandering.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be traced to the beginnings of the Soviet Union. In 1923 Nagorno-Karabakh became part of Soviet Azerbaijan while retaining its autonomous status.
Around the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, attempts from Nagorno-Karabakh to break away from Azerbaijan were met with a violent reception. About 30,000 people have been killed, and 1 million were displaced. Armenia and Azerbaijan have had a ceasefire since 1994.
Violence had erupted periodically since this ceasefire, particularly during the 2016 Four-Day War, when clashes left hundreds dead.
This image, taken from a video released on Monday, September 28, 2020, by the Armenian Ministry of Defense, allegedly shows fighting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces on the contact line of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in Azerbaijan. Armenian and Azerbaijani troops fought for the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region on Monday for a second day, blaming each other for the resumption of attacks that reportedly killed and injured dozens the decades-long conflict—rekindled (Armenian Ministry of Defense via AP).
