Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres agreed to continue discussions on sending a UN fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh during a phone conversation on Thursday, the Armenian cabinet's press office said
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 24th February, 2023) Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres agreed to continue discussions on sending a UN fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh during a phone conversation on Thursday, the Armenian cabinet's press office said.
"The interlocutors touched upon the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and issues of how to overcome it. In particular, issues related to sending a UN fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and Lachin Corridor were discussed. The sides emphasized the need to unblock the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the importance of its uninterrupted operation. An agreement was reached to continue discussions on the issue of sending a UN mission. António Guterres noted that he will keep the issue in the center of attention," the office said in a statement on the website.
The office added that Pashinyan and Guterres also exchanged views on the normalization of ties between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the protection of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Guterres' office has yet to confirm this information.
The United Nations' main judicial body ruled Wednesday that Azerbaijan must ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor, which has been blocked since December by people whom Azerbaijan describes as environmental activists protesting illegal mining operations in the area. Armenia argued in the court filing that they were acting on Baku's command and demanded that it "cease its orchestration and support" of the protests. The ICJ ruled that no action on that was warranted.
Pashinyan has repeatedly said that the corridor's blockade violates the ceasefire declaration brokered by Russia between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020. The document delegated control of the Lachin corridor to Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh. In late December 2022, Pashinyan alleged that the peacekeepers did not fulfill their obligations, a claim that was dismissed by Moscow.