ArmInfo. A group of Israeli scholars, journalists and public figures addressed a letter to Israeli FM Eli Cohen, requesting his help in preventing a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
Alexander Tsinker, an expert for the International expert Center For Electoral System (ICES) posted the letter on his Facebook account. The letter reads, in particular:
"We are academics and artists of varies fields of endeavour, whose activities bring us in various ways into contact with the situation in the South Caucasus, its history and culture We are writing to ask you to approach two states, both friendly to Israel, Azerbaijan and Russia, which have the ability to prevent a grave humanitarian crisis that may, at any time, exact a high price in human suffering and life.
"In the month since 12.12.22 Azeri activists have blockaded the road that connects Armenia with the Armenian enclave, Nagorno-Karabagh (Artsakh to its residents). Due to this continuing blockade, not only are vital supplies prevented from reaching Nagorno-Karabagh, but also thousands of its residents are unable to travel between Karabagh and Armenia. The inhabitants of this enclave suffer daily from a lack of basic food-stuffs, medicine, and energy for light and heat in this cold winter season. The situation is in danger of degenerating and threatening the lives of these 120,000 inhabitants.
"The blocking of this road, the so-called "Lachin Corridor", is contrary to the cease-fire agreement signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the Russian Federation, in November 2020. This agreement left the Lachin Corridor as the only road to and from the enclave of Nagorno Karabagh.
"We believe that you, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, through your ties with your counterparts in Azerbaijan and Russia, can help to avoid this grave humanitarian crisis. Therefore we ask that you approach them urgently to work for the lifting of the blockade of the Lachina corridor."