The Armenian NGO Nor Zartonk issued a statement on 26 February demanding the immediate opening of the Lachin Corridor, the only transport route connecting Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, which has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.
According to the group, the blockade has caused severe shortages of basic necessities such as food, medicine, gas, and electricity for the 120,000 civilians living in Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh. Nor Zartonk alleges that the blockade is a deliberate attempt by the Azerbaijani authorities to force the Armenian population out of the area.
The Azerbaijani authorities claim that the blockade is a result of ecological concerns, but Nor Zartonk argues that this is a pretext and that the real motivation is political. The group accuses the Azerbaijani President Aliyev of suppressing libertarian movements and using the blockade to further his agenda of removing Armenians from Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh.
Nor Zartonk has called on the international community to intervene and end the blockade, citing the urgent need for humanitarian aid in the region.