Senior US official announces emergency aid for Karabakh Armenians, urges Azerbaijan to help

A senior U.S. official appealed to Azerbaijan on Tuesday to facilitate the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Armenian civilians in Karabakh, describing the situation there as "harrowing".

On a visit to Armenia, Samantha Power, head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), said the United States would provide $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance.

Power said it was "absolutely critical" that independent monitors and aid organisations be given access to people in Karabakh who still had dire needs.