Delivery of even minimum food to Nagorno-Karabakh stopped

YEREVAN, April 25. /ARKA/. Artsakh State Minister (prime minister) Gurgen Nersisyan told a meeting of top government officials today that imports of humanitarian goods and fuel has been completely disrupted after Azerbaijan established a checkpoint in Lachin corridor, which is the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

He said because of the new restrictions Nagorno-Karabakh authorities are unable to import even the minimum amount of essential goods.

'We could not ensure even the delivery of the food that was to be distributed to the population by stamps," he said.

As for transportations carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the State Minister said that they have been suspended for the third day already, adding that more clarifications are needed about the principles of the urgent movement of the Artsakh citizens with the help of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers.

After the 44-day war in 2020, the Lachin corridor has been under the jurisdiction of Russian peacekeeping forces as part of the Moscow-backed ceasefire agreement. 

In December 2022, self-described Azerbaijani environmental activists, with the support of the government in Baku, blocked the road. Since then, only peacekeepers and aid convoys operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross were able to get supplies through to the 120,000 Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The local government had to introduce food rationing, while energy and gas supplies from Armenia have been periodically disrupted by Azerbaijan. -0-