Thursday, February 9 2023 19:06

ArmInfo.Azerbaijan has once again blocked the only gas pipeline into Artsakh . This is stated in the Bulletin of the Government of Artsakh on the 60th day of the  blockade, the Artsakh InfoCentre reports.  

"As of now, gas supply is  completely cut off in Artsakh.  By periodically interrupting and  partially restoring the gas supply, Azerbaijan aims not only to  deepen the humanitarian crisis but also to exacerbate feelings of  uncertainty and psychological suffering among the people of Artsakh.   Azerbaijan's latest shut-off of the gas supply to Artsakh is aimed at  intensifying the existing humanitarian crisis and comes at a time of  freezing cold weather and severe electricity shortage, caused by  damage to the only high- voltage power line serving Artsakh.  The  construction of hundreds of residential homes in Artsakh remains  unfinished because of the blockade According to the Artsakh Ministry  of Urban Development, construction in Artsakh has decreased by 90-95%  because of the blockade. This is due to the unavailability of  building materials, which were mostly being imported from Armenia.   Building material stores still have some categories of products in  stock, but if the current situation continues, construction will come  to a complete halt once the small volume of existing resources are   exhausted.  Notably, tens of thousands of Artsakh residents were  left without shelter as a result of the 2020 44-Day War, and before  Azerbaijan blocked the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia,  large-scale construction work was underway, mainly for the purpose of  providing homes for forcibly displaced persons.  Through the  mediation of the Red Cross, 17 people were transported from Artsakh  to Armenia to be reunited with their families The transport of  patients and individuals separated from their families due to the  blockade from Artsakh to Armenia and vice versa continues to be  carried out through the mediation and accompaniment of the Red  Cross."  

According to the source, 9 children are in the neonatal and intensive  care units of the children's hospital; 7 adult patients are in the  intensive care unit, 3 of whom are in critical condition; 220  children have been born under the blockade.; About 610 people have  been deprived of the opportunity to receive necessary medical  treatment due to suspensions of planned surgeries in all medical  facilities of Artsakh; As of today, 76 patients have been transferred  from Artsakh to Armenia to receive appropriate medical care with the  mediation and accompaniment of the International Committee of the Red  Cross; At least 5,100 people have lost jobs and sources of income as  a result of the impact on the economy.  More than 23,600 tons of  vital supplies, which would have been delivered during the period of  the blockade, have not reached Artsakh. Only a meager amount has  since been delivered by the ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping forces.

The Bulletin also notes that: "For 60 days, the 120,000 people of  Artsakh have been held hostage by a terroristic blockade carried out  by agents of the Azerbaijani government. As a result of the blockade,  the 120,000 people of Artsakh, including about 30,000 children,  20,000 elderly, and 9,000 people with disabilities, are suffering  numerous hardships and face a high risk of malnutrition and  frostbite, among other rights violations. 41 kindergartens and 20 day  schools have been closed or partially operating since January 9 due  to the worsening food shortage under the blockade. 5,528 children are  either no longer able to attend kindergarten at all or unable to  attend on a daylong basis, and are being deprived of the opportunity  to receive appropriate care and nutrition.  Since the beginning of  the blockade, many countries and international organizations have  condemned Azerbaijan's actions and called for the lifting of the  blockade. The issue was also discussed in the UN Security Council,  the European Court of Human Rights obliged Azerbaijan to take all  necessary and sufficient measures to end the blockade, and the issue  will soon be discussed in the UN's International Court of Justice  (The Hague) within the proceedings of the Committee on the  Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The European  Parliament adopted a resolution on the humanitarian consequences of  the blockade of Artsakh," they concluded.