Humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains tense - Pashinyan

YEREVAN, April 6. /ARKA/. The humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains tense due to the closure of the Lachin corridor, which is the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said today.

"The supply of natural gas and electricity to Nagorno-Karabakh is still not restored. Another outrageous incident occurred the day before when a group of Nagorno-Karabakh residents traveling from Goris to Stepanakert were again prevented from returning to their homes," the prime minister said at a government meeting.

This documented fact, he said, confirms assessments that had been made earlier. "And they have become even more acute against the background of the decision of the UN International Court of Justice, which obliged Azerbaijan to take all measures to fully restore the movement along the Lachin corridor in both directions," Pashinyan stressed.  

Yesterday's incident, in his opinion, once again fixed that the International Court of Justice rulings are not implemented by Azerbaijan, and that Armenia should continue its international and diplomatic efforts to make Azerbaijan unblock the Lachin corridor.

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-