The Lachin corridor must be opened now, no more delay, Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim said during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the crisis in Nagorno Karabakh.
“The Lachin corridor must open now. Other routes can be opened too, but Lachin must be opened, that’s non negotiable,” she said.
“We should be mindful that the war is not over between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which adds urgency to our commitment to try to support a durable and dignified peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” she noted.
The Acting Assistant Secretary emphasized that “the rights and security of ethnic Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be protected.”
“This is an essential element of durable and dignified peace agreement. Azerbaijan must provide internationally verifiable assurances of respect for their rights and their ability to remain in their homes without fear,” she said.
“The United States will not tolerate any action – short-term or long-term – to ethnically cleanse or commit any other atrocities against the Armenian people of Nagorno Karabakh. The current humanitarian situation is not acceptable. Humanitarian access through the Lachin corridor and other routes must be available now. We will do everything possible to make that happen and we look forward to continuing to work to make that happen,” Yuri Kim stated.
“We view the status quo as completely unacceptable. We will not stop working until we reach a resolution. We have consistently said that that corridor must be opened to commercial, humanitarian and private traffic. We’ve conveyed that message both publicly and privately to all levels of the government of Azerbaijan on numerous occasions. Access to food, medicine, baby formula and energy should never be held hostage,” the Acting Assistant Secretary said.
