Artsakh has been under siege for 231 days.
Earlier we reported that the Azerbaijanis kidnapped 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, who was coming to Armenia accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross, from the Hakari checkpoint.
The HRD of Artsakh reported that Vagif Khachatryan and the foreign representative of the ICRC Stepanakert Office were put in a “Niva” car, which went to the lower part of the Hakari bridge. About 10 minutes later, the ICRC representative returned to the “checkpoint” in a “Chevrolet” car, and Vagif Khachatryan was taken to an unknown direction. According to the testimony, the Azerbaijanis pushed the ICRC representative out of the car.
All these actions took place in the presence of Vagif Khachatryan’s daughter, who tried to do everything possible to prevent her father’s kidnapping, but she was threatened with the use of force.
68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan has cardiovascular disease, he was being transferred to Nork Marash Medical Center in Yerevan for surgery.
An application regarding the protection of the rights of Artsakh resident Vagif Khachatryan was submitted to the European Court of Human Rights with the request to apply an interim measure against Azerbaijan. The representative of the Republic of Armenia on International Legal Affairs, reported this, noting that additional information will be provided regarding further developments.
The International Red Cross Organization has released a message regarding the kidnapping of Vagif Khachatryan, a 68-year-old resident of Artsakh, at the Azeri checkpoint located in the Lachin Corridor on Saturday.
In particular, the ICRC only noted that while transporting 15 patients through the Lachin corridor, one of them was “arrested” without clarifying on what basis the patient was “arrested”.
Stating that around 680 patients have been transported through the Lachine Corridor as part of the internationally recognized humanitarian mandate since December 2022, the organization states: “We work transparently, coordinate with the parties and act only with their consent. It was like that today.”
The ICRC assures that its representatives “will visit the detained patient as soon as possible and are in contact with the family”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a statement regarding the abduction of Vagif Khachatryan, a 68-year-old citizen of Artsakh, in the Lachin Corridor and his transfer to the territory of Azerbaijan.
The department confirmed that Khachatryan, who was being transported to Armenia accompanied by the International Committee of the Red Cross to receive treatment, was placed in one of Baku’s medical facilities, he was provided with the necessary medical assistance, and conditions were created for ICRC representatives to visit him. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan also stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia allegedly “continues to engage in political manipulations in order to divert the attention of the international community and avoid its obligations.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev yesterday, expressing deep concern about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Secretary of State Blinken emphasized the urgent need for free transit of commercial, humanitarian and private vehicles through the Lachine Corridor.
He also emphasized the need to compromise on alternative routes so that humanitarian supplies can reach the people of Nagorno Karabakh.
