14:41,

YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to Romania Sergey Minasyan has paid a courtesy call on Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu.

During the meeting, the Armenian Ambassador briefed the Romanian FM on details on the illegal Azerbaijani blockade of Lachin Corridor, the Armenian Embassy in Romania said in a readout.

Minasyan congratulated Odobescu on assuming the post of Foreign Minister and expressed hope that her rich professional experience and skills will contribute to the further development of the Armenian-Romanian relations.

Both sides emphasized that the recent positive dynamics in the rich historical Armenian-Romanian relations allows supplementing the bilateral agenda and raising it to a new qualitative level.

The Armenian Ambassador conveyed to the Romanian FM details on the ongoing illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor and the resulting humanitarian crisis.

Views were exchanged on prospects of multilateral cooperation, particularly within the framework of Armenia-EU comprehensive partnership. In this context, the importance of the deployment of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia was underscored as a factor contributing to regional stability.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno-Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.