17:18, 31 July 2023
YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian humanitarian convoy carrying emergency food and medical aid to Nagorno-Karabakh remains blocked by Azerbaijan at the entrance of Lachin Corridor for the sixth day.
Armenia’s request to Azerbaijan to let the goods through and to Russian peacekeepers to help deliver it have gone unanswered, said Vardan Sargsyan, an Armenian government official and member of the Deputy Prime Ministerial task force for responding to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The convoy of trucks is stuck in the same area, in Kornidzor village.
The Azerbaijani government continues its illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor and doesn’t let the humanitarian aid through despite multiple calls from different countries and organizations.
Reporters from the United States, Russia, China and Argentina have covered the situation, Sargsyan said.
The official said that reporters from all media outlets and agencies are free to visit the area for coverage.
“We can see a growing interest from international news agencies. A France Press [AFP] reporter was here yesterday and witnessed the situation on the ground. The article was then published by France Press,” Sargsyan said.
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.
On July 26, Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy carrying emergency food and medication for Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan blocked the trucks at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.