The UN Security Council meets to discuss Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh on Aug. 16
UK Says Not Aware of Plans for a Resolution or Statement
The United States has denied claims that it is pressuring United Nations Security Council member countries to not sign a resolution on Artsakh’s humanitarian crisis following an emergency session held by the body last week to address the matter.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom said it was not aware of a resolution at the UN Security Council about the Artsakh humanitarian crisis.
Official Yerevan said on Tuesday that it anticipates that the United States will play a role in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, stemming from Azerbaijan’s more than eight-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. can play a role in advancing a resolution by the United Nations Security Council to resolve the crisis.
Mirzoyan’s was responding to a reporter’s question about media reports suggesting that the U.S. actively obstructed the adoption of a resolution by the UN Security Council after it held an emergency session last week to discuss the Artsakh crisis.
An overwhelming majority of the countries represented last week at the UN Security Council session called on Azerbaijan to end the blockade and ensure free movement along the Lachin Corridor. However, no tangible statement or resolution emerged from the meeting aside from declarations of support for the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks.
In a written response to inquiry by Armenpress, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia said that the U.S. has “not seen a draft resolution, and claims that the U.S. is pressuring member countries not to sign a resolution are completely false.”
When asked whether the U.S. was planning to submit a draft resolution following last week’s UN Security Council session, the embassy expressed Washington’s “deep concern” over the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Artsakh.
“At the United Nations Security Council meeting last Wednesday on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, led by our Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Council discussed key issues related to the current humanitarian situation,” the U.S. Embassy told Armenpress.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks at Aug. 16 UN Security Council session
“As noted in our statement at the UNSC session, we remain deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in NK and we’re encouraging the Azerbaijani government to open the Lachin Corridor to humanitarian, commercial and private traffic expeditiously,” the embassy added.
The UK Embassy in Armenia also told Armenpress that it was not aware of plans for a UN Security Council resolution or statement regarding the humanitarian situation in Artsakh.
When asked whether the UK was planning to submit a resolution to the Security Council, the embassy simply expressed “concern.”
“The United Kingdom remains deeply concerned at the ongoing disruptions to the Lachin corridor, which threatens the supply of life-saving medication, health care, and other essential goods and services – resulting in humanitarian consequences for the local population,” the UK Embassy told Armenpress.
“It is therefore crucial that the ICJ order of February 2023 is respected to ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin corridor in both directions,” added the embassy.