Armenian FM: Azerbaijan continues to terrorize Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN, March 24, /ARKA/. In an interview with Egyptian AlQahera news agency Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan was asked what is the solution to the blockade of the Lachin corridor.

The minister said: ‘First of all, the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan is a blatant violation of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, which envisages that Azerbaijan “shall guarantee safe movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo in both directions along the Lachin corridor.”

One would think that a legally binding decision of the International Court of Justice, which was adopted on February 22, could have resolved the situation as the Court ordered Azerbaijan to take all necessary measures to ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin corridor. It is regrettable that so far the decision has not been implemented.

Furthermore, I would like to emphasize that the Lachin corridor is not only a road, but a 5 km security zone. Thus, the sabotage attack of March 5 in the Lachin corridor, which I mentioned earlier, violated not only the ceasefire agreement, but also the contact line and the security zone of the corridor.

In current circumstances, I would like to stress the imperative of strong international engagement and pressure on Azerbaijan to implement the ICJ decision and lift the blockade. Armenia has been calling for an urgent international fact-finding mission to be dispatched to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor to assess the situation on the ground. It’s also not a secret that the proposal of such a mission was repeatedly rejected by the Azerbaijani side, clearly showing the absence of willingness of Azerbaijani leadership to be transparent and accountable towards the international community.’

Asked if there was any recent dialogue or international action regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue Minister Mirzoyan said:: ‘In parallel to blocking the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting the Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, for more than three months and creating a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan continues to terrorize the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh by creating unbearable conditions for living in their homeland with the ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing. Along with the humanitarian crisis, Azerbaijan has also provoked an energy crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. In cold winter conditions, the authorities of Azerbaijan repeatedly disrupted and continue to disrupt the gas and electricity supply.

The actions of Azerbaijan as well as the aggressive and minimalistic rhetoric have proven the absolute necessity of international engagement to address the issues of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as to prevent the clear attempts of Azerbaijan aimed at the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The position of the international community, including our partners and friends in the Arab world should be clear against any narrative and actions perpetrating another genocide, the international system cannot afford to sustain yet another such failure.

To conclude, despite all the risks and the fragility of the situation around my country, Armenia remains determined to make its contribution to creating a stable region where our generations won’t just dream about living in peace.’-0-