Artsakh authorities ask Azerbaijani side for a meeting

YEREVAN, April 11. /ARKA/. The authorities of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) conveyed through Russian peacekeepers a proposal to the Azerbaijani side to hold a meeting at the place of deployment (of peacekeepers) and under the mediation of the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to discuss urgent humanitarian issues.

According to Artsakh MFA, after the signing of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, several meetings between representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan were held to discuss exclusively humanitarian issues, such as the operation of infrastructure and vital activities of the population, and other pressing problems. The last such meeting was held on March 1, 2023 in Artsakh.

Azerbaijani demonstrators claiming to be environmental activists, but acting with Baku’s official support, blocked the Lachin corridor last December 12 and since then it has been closed to regular traffic.  The stranded 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are left with severely limited access to essential goods and services.

Russian peacekeepers, who have guarded the Lachin corridor since Moscow brokered an end to the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, have been unable to clear the pass. And the humanitarian aid they and the International Committee of the Red Cross do manage to deliver to the region continues to fall short of demand.-0-