Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, Josep Borrell said.

YEREVAN, September 22. /ARKA/. Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for the security and observance of the rights of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.

"They have been isolated for months due to the closure of the Lachin corridor, which has led to shortages of food and medicine. Their freedom of movement has been violated. They have also faced numerous interruptions in gas and electricity supplies. Azerbaijan bears full responsibility for the current situation, security, and respect for the rights of the Karabakh Armenians," Borrell said during the extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh on Thursday.

He noted that the European Union has repeatedly and quite clearly stated that the use of force to resolve conflicts is unacceptable. And that is why the EU condemned the military operation carried out by Azerbaijan.

"We mourn the loss of life as a result of this escalation. We take note of the ceasefire declaration and hope that the cessation of hostilities and all forms of violence will be respected. The local population needs humanitarian assistance more than ever. That is why we ask Azerbaijan to take concrete steps in that direction. First, Baku must ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to the population, including through the full opening of the Lachin corridor. It is important that employees of humanitarian organizations continue to work in this region and intensify their work if necessary," the EU representative said.

According to him, the European Union and its member states are ready to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Today the European Council announced the first humanitarian aid package to help those in need," Borrell emphasized.

Secondly, as the EU representative noted, it is necessary to start a full-fledged and transparent dialog with the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. This, in his opinion, will ensure their rights and security, including the right to live in dignity in their homes.

On September 19 Azerbaijan launched an "anti-terror" operation in the region demanding that Karabakh's forces raise a white flag, disband their armed forces and dissolve their "illegal regime".

After 24-hour fierce fighting the ethnic Armenian authorities in Stepanakert gave in. Under the terms of the truce, outlined by Azerbaijan and the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the ground, Karabakh armed forces must commit to being completely disbanded as well as disarmed.

According to the Nagorno-Karabakh human rights defender’s office, more than 10 thousand people have been evacuated from the communities seized by Azerbaijanis, several thousand cannot find their missing relatives -women, children and elderly people.

As of 21:30 September 20, the number of casualties stood at 200, including children, the number of wounded at more than 400.

Azerbaijani officials and Karabakh's Armenian representatives had the first meeting on Thursday for "re-integration" talks in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh. -0-