Thursday, July 27 2023 12:25

ArmInfo.No agreement was reached in Brussels on the use of the Aghdam-Stepanakert road for  delivering humanitarian cargoes to Nagorno-Karabakh, Ambassador-at- Large Edmon Marukyan stated in an interview with the Public TV of Armenia as he refuted the claims by Assistant of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev. 

On Wednesday Hajiyev said that "according to the Brussels agreement,  the Aghdam-Khankendi [Stepanakert - ed.] road is completely ready for  the delivery of all types of goods." "But preventing the use of this  road, using local residents as hostages, organizing imitation  delivery of goods is nothing but manipulation and blackmail," the  Azerbaijani official said, demanding that Yerevan put an end to  territorial claims against Azerbaijan and ensure the disarmament of  all illegal forces." "The international community should send a clear  message about the use of the Agdam-Khankendi road [Stepanakert - ed.]  and the reintegration of the Armenian residents of Karabakh into  Azerbaijan. There is no other way. The game is over," said Hajiyev.

In this regard, Marukyan noted that Hajiyev's statements should  considered as a narrative of the Azerbaijani side. About Usage  exclusively on the Lachin Corridor as a supply route humanitarian  cargo in his statement was also noted by the President European  Council Charles Michel. At the same time, Michel noted, Azerbaijan  declared its readiness to provide a corridor through Aghdam as well.  "I believe that the difference in the concepts associated with the  corridor is more than obvious. Presenting this statement as an  agreement reached in Brussels between the leaders of Armenia and  Azerbaijan is a total lie," the Ambassador-at-Large noted, adding  that the current authorities of the neighboring state are trying to  mislead the international community.

Marukyan stressed that at present, about 500 tons of humanitarian  cargo have accumulated in Goris, delivered earlier and which also  have not yet reached the addressee. "Azerbaijani authorities are  talking about a policy of provocation and manipulation by the  Armenian side. This means that cutting off gas, electricity, hunger  for them is not a policy of manipulation. In the end, Yerevan assumed  the obligation to maintain communication with Nagorno-Karabakh  through the Lachin corridor, and, according to the tripartite  statement of November 9, 2020, is one of the parties to this  statement," Marukyan said.

Nazeli Baghdasaryan, Press Secretary of the Prime Minister of the  Republic of Armenia, also touched upon the topic and noted that she  had nothing to add to the statements of the Prime Minister of the  Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan made at the press conference.  "The Prime Minister noted what the negotiations in Brussels were  about, referring in this context to the tripartite statement of 9  November. There is nothing to add to this," Baghdasaryan said.

Armenia's premier at a press conference, referring to the statement  of the President of the European Council Charles Michel on the  possibility of transporting humanitarian goods through Aghdam, said:  "I did not discuss such an issue, because I have neither the need nor  the mandate to discuss such an issue. And there is a discussion of  the issue of the Lachin corridor, because it is in the agreement of  November 9, one of the signatories of which I am>, the head of the  Armenian government noted.

It should be noted that a convoy with 380 tons of humanitarian cargo,  consisting of food and medicine, is currently at the entrance to the  Lachin corridor blocked by Azerbaijan. The Armenian side is waiting  for a response from the Russian peacekeepers to continue the  movement. Representatives of the civil mission of the European Union  are monitoring the development of the situation in the area of  Kornidzor village.