Marina Kaljurand expresses serious concern about actions of  Azerbaijani authorities on Goris-Stepanakert interstate road

ArmInfo.Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina  Kaljurand made a statement, in connection with the blocking by  Azerbaijan of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia  and the outside world. 

The statement of the MEP reads, in part: "I am gravely concerned by  the actions of the Azerbaijani state authorities and purported  environmental protesters in the Lachin Corridor on 3 December and  again since 12 December, resulting in the blocking of the road  connecting Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, which is a vital supply line  for the Armenian population of the region. Moreover, the reported  disruption of gas supply to Nagorno-Karabakh via the pipeline passing  through Azerbaijani-controlled territory is of utmost concern, adding  to the risk of serious humanitarian consequences. I recall that safe  movement through the Lachin Corridor is guaranteed under the  trilateral statement of 9 November 2020. I urge the government of  Azerbaijan to fulfil its obligations under this statement and call  for utmost restraint in terms of both actions and rhetoric. Once  again, I underline the need for a comprehensive peace agreement which  needs to provide firm guarantees for the rights and security of the  Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh. I call for the urgent  resumption of negotiations at the highest level, with the  facilitation of the EU, and de-escalation of the situation," the  parliamentarian summed up.

It should be noted that on December 12 at 10:30 am a group of  Azerbaijanis in civilian clothes blocked the Stepanakert-Goris  highway. Armenian telegram channels have already identified employees  of the special services of Azerbaijan among the so-called ecologists.   The Azerbaijanis are behaving loosely, trying to provoke Russian  peacekeepers, and have set up a tent on the only road linking Artsakh  with Armenia. The road remains closed to this day. The so-called  Azerbaijani environmentalists, who were lit up in the photo with a  demonstration of the symbol of Turkish "Gray Wolves"  ultranationalists, said that they would remain on the road until the  head of the peacekeeping contingent, Andrei Volkov, arrived.

In addition, on the evening of December 13, Azerbaijan also closed  the valve of the gas pipeline that supplies gas to the population of  Nagorno Karabakh. The international community reacts rather  sluggishly to this terror perpetrated by Aliyev's dictatorial regime. 

It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijanis who blocked the  Stepanakert-Goris highway "started changing their tune", now they  demand control and activities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and  the State Security Service of Azerbaijan throughout the territory of  the Republic of Artsakh.

Late on December 13, more than 24 hours later, the US State  Department, France and the EU called for traffic to be restored. We  add that the first provocations by the so-called environmentalists  began on December 3 with the blocking of the Berdzor (Lachin)  corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia. Over the past week, the  enemy side periodically undertook various kinds of provocations, both  against Russian peacekeepers and against the civilian population. And  already on December 10, a group of Azerbaijanis tried to get into two  mines operating in the NKR, however, the Karabakh people did not  allow the enemies to get into these mines.