The fact that the UN Security Council referred to the humanitarian situation in Artsakh resulting from the blocking of the Lachin corridor is welcome, Artsakh’s Foreign Minister said at a press conference today.
He expressed gratitude to representatives of the countries that gave clear assessment to Azerbaijan’s actions and the blockade of Lachin corridor.
“At the same time we are worried that some countries attempted to put an equation marks between Lachin corridor and other transport routes. This goes against the parameters enshrined in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020,” he said.
The Foreign Minister said yesterday’s discussion at the UN Security Council was only the beginning and the process will continue.
Speaking about Artsakh’s expectations from the international community, Sergey Ghazaryan said the permanent members of the UN Security Council are the countries that possess the toolkit to prevent Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy.
According to the Foreign Minister, these countries first need to give a clear assessment to the situation and then use the tools, including sanctions and diplomatic measures to solve the situation.
Referring to the possibility of launching Stepanakert-Baku dialogue, FM Ghazaryan said: “We have stated on different occasions that the Artsakh side is most interested in reaching a comprehensive solution to the Artsakh-Azerbaijan conflict through peace talks.”
He noted, however, that the talks should take place within the framework of international mechanisms to ensure that the negotiations comply with the norms of international law.
The Foreign Minister added that there should be clear guarantees that the parties will meet the commitments they undertake.
He noted that meetings on the territory of Azerbaijan without the participation of third countries is impossible and added that through the Russian peacekeepers Artsakh is periodically passing on proposals to the Azerbaijani side, which the latter denies.
As for the use of the Aghdam-Stepanakert road for humanitarian assistance, the Foreign Minister said “this step will legitimize Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor.”
Besides, Ghazaryan noted, no international assistance should humiliate human dignity. “It’s Azerbaijan that has created this situation, and the fake attempts to demonstrate humanist approaches are unacceptable.”
