Today, the first Cabinet meeting of 2023 was held, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Before discussing the agenda, the Prime Minister referred to the blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the regional situation. In his speech, Nikol Pashinyan noted:

“Dear participants of the Cabinet meeting,

Dear people,

The illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan continues for 25 days. This operation, which caused a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, caused calls to unblock the corridor, a wide international reaction. Despite this, Azerbaijan takes no meassures to settle the issue. By closing the Lachin Corridor, Azerbaijan is grossly violating its direct commitment of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020, which raises serious questions about the reliability of official Baku. At the same time, Azerbaijan is trying to attribute to Armenia a practice of not fulfilling its obligations, which is completely fictitious.

It is also important to record that various reasons are given regarding the closure of the Lachin Corridor, but, in my opinion, the most profound and real reason is that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh continue to live in their homeland, and the international community has begun to record Azerbaijan’s visible policy of subjecting Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to ethnic cleansing and genocide more and more clearly. In this sense, we expect more practical steps from the international community, including the permanent member of the UN Security Council, the Russian Federation, whose peacekeeping troops are stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh, and keeping the Lachin Corridor under its own control is its direct commitment under the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020.

Dear Colleagues,

On December 30, 2022, by my decision, a working group headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan was established to support the people of Nagorno Karabakh in managing the humanitarian crisis that has emerged in Nagorno Karabakh. The group has already held several meetings and is making decisions of a humanitarian nature arising from the situation, and will continue operating as long as it’s needed.

Referring to the current situation in the region in general, I have to reaffirm the commitment of the Republic of Armenia to the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021, October 31, 2022, as well as to the agreements of the Prague quadrilateral meeting of October 6, 2022, which were recorded in the statement following the meeting.

I should also emphasize that the continuous blockade of the Lachin Corridor makes the sending of an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor even more necessary, and it is necessary to make continuous efforts in this direction.

Thank you.”