Canadian parliament adopts motion for meetings on Artsakh blockage

YEREVAN, January 19. /ARKA/. In an unprecedented move, the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Canadian parliament unanimously adopted a motion, calling for a maximum of three meetings on the blockage of the Lachin Corridor and to hear directly from Artsakh State (Nagorno-Karabakh) representatives, the Armenian National Committee of Canada reported.

It said this is a historic move that will officially give an opportunity to representatives of the Republic of Artsakh to speak in front of the Canadian Parliament.

Under the motion the Committee undertakes to hold a maximum of three meetings to study the present situation of the blockage of the Lachin Corridor, de facto isolating the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, the Ambassador of Armenia, the chargé d’affaires a.i. of Azerbaijan, representatives of the two communities in Canada, the Permanent Representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the United States and Canada and Gegham Stepanyan, the Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Defender will be invited to testify by Friday, February 3, 2023.

The testimony and materials gathered by the community at these meetings will be taken into consideration in the study of the security of the Azerbaijan Armenia borders and that deadline to submit additional witnesses to the clerk be at noon, on Friday, January 20.

Since December 12th, Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin Corridor – the sole road linking Artsakh to Armenia, leaving the 120,000 Armenian population without access to food, medical supplies, fuel and other vital humanitarian goods at the onset of winter in freezing conditions. Food, medicine and electricity are being rationed throughout the country. -0-