Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh on the Complete Closure of the Lachin Corridor

“On 15 June, after committing a deliberate provocation near the Hakari bridge, the Azerbaijani side completely blocked all humanitarian transport of persons and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. As a result of Azerbaijan’s actions, a planned medical evacuation of patients from Artsakh to Armenia did not take place and a planned transportation of persons for urgent humanitarian needs through the mediation of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent along the Stepanakert-Goris-Stepanakert route was canceled. Movement of vehicles of Russian peacekeepers, heading to Goris to deliver humanitarian cargo to Artsakh, was also stopped.

The complete closure of the Lachin Corridor, already used in a limited regime and exclusively for humanitarian purposes due to the illegal blockade of Artsakh that has been ongoing for more than 6 months, is another practical demonstration of Azerbaijan’s flagrant violation of its international obligations, disregard for the fundamental norms of international law, including the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice. In fact, the illegally established checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor is used by Azerbaijan purely as a tool to continue the policy of ethnic cleansing against the people of Artsakh.

Obviously, as a continuation of their policy of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and expulsion of its people from their native lands by creating unbearable living conditions, including through the prolonged blockade of Artsakh initiated by the so-called eco-activists, establishment of Azerbaijani control in the Lachin Corridor and other illegal actions, the Azerbaijani authorities chose to resort to new provocations aimed at tightening the blockade and isolating the people of Artsakh from the outside world, depriving them of the possibility of even limited movement and delivery of humanitarian supplies with the support of the ICRC and Russian peacekeepers.

In conditions of total permissiveness and absence of decisive measures by the international community against the policy of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh, Azerbaijan’s actions are becoming increasingly threatening. Therefore, to avoid new atrocities and crimes against the people of Artsakh, such illegal and aggressive actions of Azerbaijan must receive an adequate political assessment and condemnation from the international community and, above all, the parties involved in the process.

We once again emphasise that all members of the international community have a responsibility to prevent massive violations of human rights, including ethnic cleansing and genocide.”