Artsakh state minister on humanitarian crisis, lost human lives  because of Azerbaijan-enforced blockade 

ArmInfo. In an interview with Meduza, Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan spoke about the present situation in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). 

Azerbaijan imposed a blockade on Nagorno-Karabakh on December 12,  2022. The Artsakh Cabinet was discussing the hard winter. "The very  first Cabinet meeting I chaired after arriving last November  discussed Azerbaijan's intention to spare no effort to expert  pressure on the Artsakh population - to break the people's will and  force them into agreeing to Azerbaijan-set terms [an  Armenian-Azerbaijani peace agreement]," Mr Vardanyan said. 

As a result of the blockade, Artsakh has run out of numerous products  - from food to toilet paper, toothpaste and washing powder. 

"The people are not fully aware that even during the Leningrad  blockade, with numerous victims because of cold and starvation, at  least meager supplied were brought in. In this sense, there is no  total blockade.  And we continue receiving aid from the Red Cross and  from the Russian peacekeepers, and we are grateful to them. But their  resources are limited. And this shortage causes rumors and people  have a feeling of injustice. We have introduced coupons for those  working to be sure they can purchase what is due to them," Mr  Vardanyan said. 

He also spoke of Azerbaijan's provocations hindering agricultural  work in Artsakh. "Last autumn farmer were to gather harvest, and the  Azerbaijani side started sniping to prevent their work. That was on  regular basis, in defiance of the Russian peacekeepers' presence. And  many land plots have remained mined since the end of the war. The  situation is serious, we lack equipment and have not yet restored  much since the war," he said. 

Mr Vardanyan also confirmed several deaths as a result of the  Azerbaijan-imposed blockade. "Some of them needed transportation by  air. Formerly, the Russian peacekeepers could transport such patients  to Yerevan by helicopter, but Azerbaijan banned the use of  helicopters. We tried to transport some of the patients by car, but  we could not do that for all of them, so we have tragedies," he said. 

Up to ten people died though they might have been saved. 

As regards the gas supply to Artsakh, Mr Vardanyan stressed  Azerbaijan's cynical conduct - they now turn it on and now turn it  off. 

"We cannot supply gas to all the households and part of our  population has to switch off their water- heaters. Azerbaijan has  disrupted electricity supply to Artsakh as well. But we can use the  Sarsang Reservoir. Ambulance cars are using the government's fuel  reserves," he said. 

As regards the restrictions on free movement, Mr Vardanyan said the  martial law implies rules. 

"There is a threat of provocations by the so-called Azerbaijani  ecoactivists. But we have no restrictions on freedom of speech -  rallies, including opposition one, are taking place in Artsakh. They  are sometimes unacceptable to me - some opposition members may use  very strong language. However, they can speak up, and no one is  disbanding them," Mr Vardanyan said. 

As to whether the big Russian-Armenian businessmen - Samvel  Karapetyan, Sergey Hambartsumyan, the Sargisov brothers - are  assisting Artsakh in any way, Mr Vardanyan said that Samvel  Karapetyan is helping to deal with the energy crisis: his team at  Artsakhenergo are working hard. 

"It is a very problematic area now because the blockade does not  allow abundant supplies. But we are all in contact with one another,"  he said. 

In this context he stressed that only one road - the Lachin corridor  - is a link between the Nagorno- Karabakh Republic (NKR) and Armenia. 

"This road runs by Shushi [under Azerbaijan's full control since the  end of the 2020 war]. An Armenian roadblock is located near Shushi,  with Russian peacekeepers deployed farther [to control the Lachin  corridor]. Even farther the Azerbaijani 'ecoactivists' enforced a  blockade. On December 12, they lined up along the road in front of  the Russian peacekeepers and blocked the traffic. I do not know if  you are informed of how the blockade was enforced. At first, an  Azerbaijani ambulance car appeared on the road - they are allowed to  travel in both directions. But it was followed by a crowd of  Azerbaijanis, who made use of the corridor and put up their tents  round the ambulance car," Mr Vardanyan said.  

During the first month of the blockade, about 370 vehicles of the  Russian peacekeepers passed through the corridor, whereas 800 to 900  vehicles a day passed through it before the blockade.   

"There was one more disagreeable situation. Before the blockade, many  Artsakh children, gifted children, went to Yerevan to see the finals  of the Junior Eurovision Contest. And they were without their parents  on the New Year's eve. On January 18, some of them were brought here.  The Russian peacekeepers arranged for them to be allowed to go home.  But the Azerbaijani entered the bus, inspected all the children and  exerted psychological pressure on them. I am sure the children - they  are aged 12, 13, 14 - will remember that stress forever," Mr  Vardanyan said. 

As to whether the people blocking the road include members of  Azerbaijan's ruling party and reservists, Mr Vardanyan said that the  "ecoactivists" even include university students, who are "rewarded"  with credits they would not otherwise get. "But special service  agents and even members of the Grey Wolves are among them as well." 

As regards Azerbaijan's claims about the mine exploration in Artsakh,  Mr Vardanyan said that the mines have actually been explored for  decades - since the Soviet times. Thereafter, a private company [Base  Metals, a daughter company of Vallex Group] made huge investments in  the mines. 

"When Azerbaijan made its first claims about monitoring, it turned  our that the trip of the 'ecoactivists' was organized in a  rough-and-ready fashion. That caused a protest by the locals [the  residents and the miners, who blocked the crossroads of the Drmbon  village on December 10].   

"But then, we and the managers of the Base Metals company said: 'You  are welcome. Let only experts come. We do not consider Azerbaijani  environmentalists - who are hardly protecting their own environment -  competent enough to assess our environment.'

"We addressed a letter to Russian peacekeepers and stated our  readiness to provide access to the monitoring group. But we demanded  unblocking of the road and proper process in exchange. And we have  not received their response so far. And now we are hearing our  neighbors' formal claims that the 'waste water could damage the  agricultural lands' and so on. And our simple response is: 'let us  organize an international expert examination of both this mine and of  other mines in the region, instead of resorting to provocations over  what you are not experts in. 

"Questions about the 'environmental aspects' make me laugh. And how  many environmental protests have taken place in Azerbaijan over the  last 20 years? Double standards - absolutely! Some of them are  applied to a small democratic republic, while the others to the  authoritarian Azerbaijani sultanate," Mr Vardanyan said.