Armenian FM calls on G-20 to press Azerbaijan to end "inhumane siege"  of Nagorno-Karabakh  

ArmInfo. On January 12, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan made remarks at the Voice of the South Virtual Summit held within the framework of the  presidency of India in the G-20. In his remarks, Minister Mirzoyan  particularly noted:

"First, I would like to congratulate India for assuming the G-20  presidency and express our gratitude for the invitation to the Voice  of the South Virtual Summit.

"Last month in New York, I witnessed India's leadership in promoting  unity and progress among UN member-states on the need to work  together to address the challenges that all of our people face, as  well as to uphold the United Nations Charter and its core principles.  It is gratifying to see that India with its vital democracy and  dynamic economy is making rapid progress in many areas and we  appreciate India's stabilizing activities in these times of global  turmoil.

"In a world where threats and challenges continue to grow and  tendencies of exclusion continue to rise, we need to explore new ways  and channels for inclusive partnerships to mitigate the negative  trends and tap into the enormous potential of the Global South. In  that sense, the priorities of the Indian presidency in G- 20 - from  green development to technological transformation, from inclusive and  resilient growth to women-led development and many others - are  prerequisites for a free, open world that is connected, that is  prosperous, and that is safe.

"One of the priorities for creating a conducive environment for the  development of the countries and peoples of the Global South should  be connectivity. As a landlocked developing country, Armenia is a  long-standing advocate of promoting inclusive and equitable regional  and cross-border connectivity in our region and beyond, which would  unlock the trade and transit potential of the South Caucasus.  Efficient cooperation between the landlocked and transit countries  and unblocking of all regional transport communications is key to  removing political barriers to the free movement of people, goods and  services, particularly, in times of global recession and in terms of  realization of the economic and social rights of all peoples.

"In this regard, we are interested in advancing cooperation within  the framework of North-South connectivity, as well as the Persian  Gulf - the Black Sea international transport corridor. Armenia  considers India's potential and prospective role for these projects  as quite significant.

"As we speak about connectivity and free movement of people, for more  than a month already the entire world has witnessed a flagrant  violation of these principles: under made-up ecological concerns, a  group of Azerbaijani government agents has been blocking the Lachin  corridor - the only lifeline connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia  and to the rest of the world. By discrediting the global  environmental agenda and violating the right to free movement,  Azerbaijan keeps hostage 120,000 Armenians of "Nagorno-Karabakh,  including 30,000 kids and several thousands of disabled persons.  Because of the Azerbaijani unlawful blockade, the people of  Nagorno-Karabakh today face a humanitarian catastrophe.  There is an  acute shortage of essential goods, food and medicine. The danger of  malnutrition, especially child malnutrition is tangible. Hundreds of  families left on different sides of the Azerbaijani blockade remain  separated.

"In this situation, we highly appreciate the unequivocal calls by the  international community and particularly by the majority of the UN  Security Council members during the urgent meeting of the UN SC held  on December 20, 2022, to end the blockade and ensure access to  Nagorno-Karabakh for international organizations.

"However, the continuous provocations and aggressive actions of  Azerbaijan have come to demonstrate that the absence of strong and  appropriate accountability measures only encourages Azerbaijan to  continue testing the determination and willingness of the  international community to take action. Currently, concrete pressure  on Azerbaijan from our international partners, including G-20  members, is needed with the aim of ending the inhumane siege of the  people of Nagorno-Karabakh and returning to the negotiation table.

"We also consider it necessary to deploy an international  fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor to  assess the humanitarian situation on the ground, as well as to ensure  unhindered humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for relevant UN  bodies."