On February 9, at the initiative of the Armenian delegation to the OSCE, the current issue of “The humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh” was brought to the agenda of the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, under which delegations of many countries delivered remarks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed.

During the meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council, Ambassador Armen Papikyan, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the OSCE, thoroughly discussed the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh resulting from Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor since December 12, 2022.

The ambassador stressed that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have been under a de facto siege for two months: food and medications supply is almost completely stopped. It was emphasized that the deliberate systematic disruptions of gas supply  and electricity by Azerbaijan in the freezing winter conditions in the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, the creation of unbearable living conditions have one goal: to force the Armenian population of Artsakh to leave their homes and deprive them of the right to live in their homeland.

In his remarks, the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia stated that Azerbaijan’s claims that free movement is ensured through the Lachin corridor do not correspond to reality. This is evidenced by the fact that after long mediation, only a limited number of vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Russian peacekeeping contingent were allowed to pass through the Lachin Corridor, which have delivered a limited amount of food and medicine to Artsakh.

Calling on the OSCE member states to increase the pressure on Azerbaijan, Ambassador Papikyan highly appreciated the clear messages and positions of a number of OSCE participating countries so far, which call on Azerbaijan to immediately and without preconditions lift the blockade and ensure the free and unimpeded movement through the Lachin corridor, which, however, is not sufficient.

Ambassador Papikyan stressed that it is imperative to deploy an international fact-finding mission in Nagorno-Karabakh and Lachin corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground and prevent new aggression.

Armen Papikyan added that, violating the norms of international humanitarian law and the November 9 Trilateral Statement, Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and civilians as hostages, and the fate of many forcibly disappeared remains unknown. The destruction of the Armenian historical-cultural and religious heritage of Artsakh is ongoing in the territories fallen under the Azerbaijani control. Azerbaijan is still rejecting the deployment of UNESCO fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories.