13:49,
YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said he discussed with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib on August 22 the deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the illegal Azeri blockade of Lachin Corridor.
“We discussed in detail the extremely negative and irreversible consequences of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the UN Security Council emergency meeting, the targeted statements made by international partners and organizations, including Belgium and other EU states…” Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Lahbib in Yerevan. He said Armenia attaches great importance to the statements.
“Nevertheless, despite all of this and contrary to the ICJ 22 February and 6 July rulings, Azerbaijan continues the blockade of Lachin Corridor. Of course, this is not a manifestation separate from other developments, we are continuously warning that Azerbaijan’s actions are based on the explicit policy of subjecting Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing,” FM Mirzoyan said.
He added that Azerbaijan has been violating the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh and targeting Armenian positions along the state border of Armenia in the recent days. Mirzoyan noted that the EU monitoring mission has also reported the shooting.
FM Mirzoyan said that Azerbaijan is continuously violating all terms of the 9 November statement, including the clause on releasing all POWs and other detainees, and determining the fate of those missing.
The Armenian Foreign Minister warned that by keeping 120,000 Armenians hostage in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan is challenging the efforts of the entire international community, and first of all Armenia, aimed at achieving peace and stability.
“The Armenian side expects our international partners to display political will and take effective steps in the direction of changing Azerbaijan’s destructive, inhuman and belligerent conduct. The Armenian side is once again reaffirming its stance to achieve lasting peace in the region through negotiations,” he said.