Artsakh has been under siege for 190 days.
For 5 days, Azerbaijan has blocked all kinds of humanitarian transportation to Artsakh, which during the blockade was carried out accompanied by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeeping force.
“In modern international relations, the case when 120,000 people are made starving, tortured, and then informed: if you do not want to stay hungry, be tortured, come to negotiations, should be considered savagery and terrorism. For more than six months, Artsakh has been under siege, Azerbaijan is constantly using force or threatening to use force against the people of Artsakh, the people of Artsakh are deprived of gas supply, energy supply, the opportunity to receive proper medical care, sufficient food, the elderly, pregnant women, children and infants are deprived from the opportunity to purchase necessary care items and medicines,” the State Minister of Artsakh said.
In the newsletter of the Russian Ministry of Defense of 19 June, there is no information about the delivery of humanitarian goods to Artsakh.
The ban on humanitarian cargo transportation aggravates the humanitarian crisis situation in Artsakh created as a result of the blockade. The already limited food situation that has arisen as a result of the 6-month-long blockade poses existential threats to 120,000 people of Artsakh, including 30,000 children, 20,000 elderly and 9,000 people with disabilities.
After Azerbaijan installed an illegal checkpoint on 23 April on the border with Armenia on the highway connecting Artsakh to Armenia, the communities of Hin Shen, Mets Shen, Lisagor and Yeghtsahogh of Berdadzor sub-district of Shushi region were under a bilateral blockade, deprived of all possibilities of communication with the rest of Artsakh and Armenia. Due to the Azerbaijani obstacles, all kinds of humanitarian supplies to the residents of those villages were also stopped.
On 22 February, the International Court published the decision regarding the request submitted by Armenia and stated: “Since 12 December, the connection through the Lachin Corridor has been disrupted, the supply of food, medicine and other necessary goods to Nagorno Karabakh has been hindered, which can cause irreparable damage.
“The Court considers that it is necessary to apply a temporary measure and court records that Azerbaijan is obliged to take the measures that depend on it to ensure the uninterrupted movement of people and goods in both directions through the Lachin Corridor.”
It was noted that the court’s decision came into force from the moment of its publication.
However, the fact is that the road is still closed. The cases of violation of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijan have increased; this is confirmed by the reports of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Due to the lack of international pressure on Azerbaijan, the Armenians of Artsakh are facing a humanitarian disaster. The appeals of the international community have been ignored by the leadership of Azerbaijan until now.
Fundamental human rights have been violated for 190 days, and international organizations and states are silent.
Due to the terrorist behavior of the Azerbaijani side, the villages of Shushi region are completely cut off from the capital of Artsakh and other settlements.
It should be noted that the Governing Board of the CSO Anti-Corruption Coalition of Armenia also made a statement. “This blockade, under the guise of environmentalism, pursues the realization of the corrupt ambitions of the despotic leadership of Azerbaijan to seize the most important assets of Artsakh’s economy.”
Photo: Davit Ghahramanyan.
