Stepanakert: Azerbaijan uses Lachin corridor as military-political  means of conducting its aggressive and genocidal policy against  people of Artsakh

ArmInfo.For the seventh day now, since 15 June, Azerbaijan has completely blocked the delivery of  all types of humanitarian cargo to the Republic of Artsakh through  the Lachin Corridor, including food and medicine, carried out by the  Russian peacekeeping forces and the International Committee of the  Red Cross (ICRC), thereby deliberately depriving the 120,000  population of Artsakh, including women,  children and the elderly, of  the minimum means of subsistence. This is stated in the statement of  the NKR Foreign Ministry in connection with the complete blocking of  the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan in violation of international  obligations.

As the press service of the NKR MFA reports, the statement reads, in  part:  "We emphasise that the complete and arbitrary blocking of the  Lachin Corridor, in particular the  deliberate obstruction of the  delivery of humanitarian cargo by the Russian peacekeeping forces and  the ICRC for the basic needs of the people of Artsakh under siege, is  considered a war crime under international law. In essence,  Azerbaijan has gone from blatant violation of the provisions of the  Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and complete disregard for  the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice of 22  February 2023 to actions that amount to a war crime.  

We recall that the Lachin Corridor, envisaged by the Trilateral  Statement of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan dated 9  November 2020, which establishes, inter alia, the exclusive control  of the Corridor by the Russian peacekeeping forces, has been  functioning for the past six months with severe and arbitrary  restrictions imposed by Azerbaijan and was used only for the passage  of vehicles of the ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping forces. On 15  June, after a deliberate provocation with the Azerbaijani flag on the  Hakari bridge, Azerbaijan completely closed the Corridor, including  by blocking the road with armoured vehicles.  Thus, movement in both  directions through the Corridor has now been blocked for  representatives of the ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping forces, who  delivered essential supplies to the Republic of Artsakh.  

The complete blockade and isolation of the Republic of Artsakh from  the outside world exacerbate the humanitarian crisis and prepare  fertile ground for the escalation of Azerbaijan's ongoing crimes  against humanity into the crime of genocide.  By completely blocking  the Lachin Corridor, which is the only Road of Life for the people of  Artsakh, Azerbaijan has actually taken its targeted policy of ethnic  cleansing of Artsakh and destruction of its people as such to a new  level.  

There is no doubt that the initial purpose of the illegal  establishment of Azerbaijani control over the Lachin Corridor was its  subsequent blockade and use as a means of conducting its aggressive  and genocidal policy against the people of Artsakh. In fact, the  Lachin Corridor, originally intended to connect Artsakh with the  outside world and as one of the guarantees of the normal life  activity of its people, is used by Azerbaijan as a military-  political tool to carry out aggressive actions against the Republic  of Artsakh and its citizens.  

The deliberate starvation of 120,000 people, including women,  children and the elderly, inflicting unbearable daily suffering on  them, as well as imposing Azerbaijan's own will with the use or  threat of force, requires the international community to take urgent  and effective enforcement measures aimed at preventing massive  violations of rights of the people of Artsakh.  

We strongly demand that all responsible members of the international  community take the necessary collective and individual measures to  stop the ongoing international crimes committed by Azerbaijan, and to  prevent a catastrophe threatening the people of Artsakh with  genocide. We also consider it timely for the ICRC and other relevant  international structures and human rights organisations to properly  and adequately assess the situation and urge the Azerbaijani  authorities to respect the right of the people of Artsakh to  humanitarian assistance and international protection. We note that  inaction and indifference in fact encourage Azerbaijan's genocidal  actions," Artsakh MFA emphasizes.