WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called for the opening of the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia when he spoke with a senior Azerbaijani official late on Thursday.

Sullivan had separate phone calls with Hikmet Hajiyev, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s top foreign policy aide, and Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, on the 11th day of the road blockade imposed by Baku.

“Mr. Sullivan noted our ongoing concern over impeded access to the Lachin Corridor and the growing humanitarian implications of this situation, and called for full restoration of free movement through the corridor,” the White House said in a statement

The U.S. State Department has repeatedly voiced such calls since the vital Karabakh road was blocked by Azerbaijani protesters on December 12.

The European Union has also called on Baku to ensure renewed traffic through it. The EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov discussed the matter in a phone call on Thursday.

According to the White House’s readout of Sullivan’s calls, the U.S., Armenian and Azerbaijani officials also “took stock of the progress made in EU and U.S.-facilitated peace talks since their joint September 27 meeting in Washington.”

“All affirmed their commitment to negotiations with the goal of finalizing a peace agreement,” added the statement.

The Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia has been blocked by group of Azerbaijanis since December 12. They demand that their government be allowed to inspect “illegal” mining operations in Karabakh.

In the meantime food stores and markets in Nagorno-Karabakh have run out of key foodstuffs imported from or through Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan said in daily video address that the situation with food supply and gasoline was severe. He told the population to be prepared for a potentially lengthy blockade of the road.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

What Is the Secret to Trump-Erdogan Close Relationship?

This week the long-awaited memoir titled “The Room Where It Happened” by…

NKR Issues Statement on 20th Anniversary of Ceasefire Agreement

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno-Karabakh Repiblic (NKR) has issued…

100 Days After the Siege of Artsakh

The closure of the Lachin Corridor has now reached its 100th day. …

Pasadena Committee Seeking Design for Armenian Genocide Memorial

PASADENA — The Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee is seeking qualified candidates…