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Armenia MFA draws the attention of international partners to the blockade of Lachin Corridor

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs draws the attention of international partners and all progressive humanity to the fact that for more than three weeks, Azerbaijan has kept Nagorno-Karabakh under siege, grossly violating the regime of the Lachin Corridor established by the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, and blocking the road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the whole world, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

It is already the 23rd day that Azerbaijan has been forcing the population of Nagorno-Karabakh to be deported in front of the eyes of the whole world, continuing its policy of ethnic cleansing, the Ministry said.

“The humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is getting worse day by day. The lack of essential goods, food and medicine is becoming more and more significant. The danger of malnutrition becomes palpable. Hundreds of families remain separated, being on different sides of the Azerbaijani blockade. 120,000 people are de facto prisoners,” the statement reads.

“The claims of the Azerbaijani side that the Lachin Corridor is actually open are completely groundless, which is evidenced at least by the fact that only the vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross are allowed to transport a limited number of patients to the Republic of Armenia in the event of a life-threatening situation,” the Foreign Ministry emphasizes.

“In the current situation, we emphasize the importance of the urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on December 20, 2022, which was called in response to the request of the Armenian side, in order to discuss the closure of the Lachin Corridor and its humanitarian consequences for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. We highly appreciate the publicly expressed and clear calls by the overwhelming majority of the Security Council members to lift the blockade of the corridor by Azerbaijan and to provide access to Nagorno Karabakh by international organizations. We also welcome France’s efforts in the ten-day period following the aforementioned session of the Council of Ministers for a press statement to be adopted by the President of the Security Council regarding the situation,” the Ministry stated.

It stressed that “Armenia will continue to take targeted steps in all possible formats, including within the framework of the UN Security Council and international and regional structures, in order to ensure a decisive response and actions arising from the mandate and functions of these structures, to lift the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and eliminate the resulting humanitarian crisis facing the 120 thousand people of Nagorno Karabakh.

“We also consider it necessary to send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground, as well as to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for relevant UN bodies,” the Foreign Ministry continued.

“Azerbaijan is obliged to immediately reopen the Lachin Corridor in accordance with the principles enshrined in point 6 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, according to which Azerbaijan guarantees the safety of the movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo through the Lachin Corridor, and the Lachin Corridor is under the control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Nagorno Karabakh. Since the provisions of the tripartite statement have been violated as a result of Azerbaijan’s illegal actions, we also expect Russia to make clear efforts to eliminate this gross violation without any preconditions,” the Ministry concluded.

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