Sergey Ghazaryan is Artsakh's foreign minister

Equating the importance of the Lachin Corridor to any alternative route, such the road connecting Aghdam to Stepanakert is “unacceptable,” Artsakh Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan said Thursday.

Ghazaryan was commenting on the special session of the United Nations Security Council of Wednesday, during which several country representatives said that other alternatives should be considered when speaking about providing humanitarian assistance to Artsakh.

The proposal to utilize the Aghdam-Stepanakert highway is a scheme being advanced by Baku that completely cuts off Armenia from Artsakh as Azerbaijan continues to blockade the Lachin Corridor.

“We are concerned that some countries attempted to equate the Lachin Corridor and other transport routes. This goes against the parameters enshrined in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020,” Ghazaryan said Thursday during a virtual press conference held with Armenia and non-Armenian media.

Ghazaryan said that using the Aghdam-Stepanakert road for humanitarian assistance will “legitimize Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor.” He added that Azerbaijan has created this situation and the international community should see through Baku’s attempts to come off as “humanitarian” and find it unacceptable.

He voiced gratitude to representatives of countries who clearly articulated Azerbaijan’s actions and the Lachin Corridor blockade, saying that UN Security Council members have the tools to prevent Azerbaijan’s genocidal policy.

Ghazaryan said that imposing sanction and other diplomatic measures are within the purview of the UN Security Council member states.

Artsakh’s foreign minister also discussed the issue of dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku, saying that such discussions must take place within the accepted norms and through international mechanisms to ensure that they comply with international law.