Thursday, December 22 2022 20:08

ArmInfo.Discussions and conversations about Russian peacekeepers are quite natural, because the territory, which is blocked, and because of which our citizens  are deprived of the opportunity to move freely, is under the control  of Russian peacekeepers. Minister of Territorial Administration and  Infrastructure of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan expressed a similar opinion  during a briefing near the government building on December 22.

He stressed that no one is satisfied with the current situation. "We  condemn it and take certain steps, and we think that these steps and  international pressure contributed to the fact that gas supply was  restored in Nagorno-Karabakh," he said, noting that other issues are  also being worked on, including by the Armenian Foreign Ministry.   The minister also assured that the state is in touch with the  citizens of Artsakh, who cannot return home due to the blockade,  providing them with the necessary assistance, including financial  one.

Speaking about an alternative road linking Armenia with Artsakh,  Sanosyan promised that the main land works would be completed by the  end of the year, and the road would be ready for operation by May  2023.  It should be noted that today, during a government meeting,  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recalled that, "Azerbaijan's  actions of closing the Lachin Corridor are illegal and grossly  violate its international obligations, in particular, the provisions  of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020. According to point  6 of the declaration, as I have said many times, the Lachin Corridor  is under the control of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian  Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Republic of Azerbaijan  guarantees the safety of the movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo  through the Lachin Corridor. This provision is not being actually  implemented today.  De facto, it turns out that the peacekeeping  troops of the Russian Federation also do not fulfill their obligation  recorded in the trilateral declaration, that is, to keep the Lachin  Corridor under control. Of course, this happens as a result of  Azerbaijan's illegal actions, but this does not change the situation,  because the main purpose of the presence of the peacekeeping troops  of the Russian Federation is to prevent such an illegality from  happening and, in particular, to keep the Lachin Corridor under  control."

We note that today is already the 11th day as the 120,000th  population of Artsakh is under blockade. A group of self-identified  Azerbaijani "environmental activists" blocked the Goris-Stepanakert  road, demanding access to the deposits being developed in Artsakh.  Yesterday, the ECHR ordered Azerbaijan to take all necessary and  sufficient measures to ensure safe  passage  through the "Lachin  Corridor" for seriously ill and those stranded on the road without  shelter in accordance with Trilateral Statement of Nov 9 2020 and  ECHR.