Azerbaijan Should Have No Control Over Lachin Corridor: PM Pashinyan

CHISINAU  — Azerbaijan should have no control over the Lachin corridor, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with CNN Primanews.

“Azerbaijan has illegally blocked the Lachin Corridor since last December. We say illegal, because according to the tripartite statement of November 9, the Lachin Corridor was created to ensure the connection of Nagorno Karabakh Armenians, Nagorno Karabakh with the Republic of Armenia. And according to the tripartite statement, Azerbaijan should not have any control over that corridor. Moreover, the corridor is not only a road, but also a 5 km wide safety zone. The blocking is therefore illegal,” the Prime Minister said.

“As a result of the blockade, a humanitarian crisis has arisen in Nagorno-Karabakh, because, firstly, people are deprived of the right to move, and secondly, food and basic necessities are being supplied with interrupted by peacekeepers and the Red Cross. And the consequence of this is that people can buy goods in stores only with coupons issued by the government of Nagorno-Karabakh so that food stocks can be managed,” he noted.

PM Pashinyan emphasized that natural gas and electricity supply to Nagorno-Karabakh are cut.

“The most important consequence of this during the winter months was that all schools and kindergartens, higher education institutions were closed, and about 30,000 children and students were deprived of their right to education. Of course, with the warming of the seasons, kindergartens, schools, and universities have already opened, and the educational process has been restored,” he said.

The Prime Minister reminded about the UN Court decision obliging Azerbaijan to unblock the Lachin Corridor to ensure the movement of citizens and goods.

“Azerbaijan not only failed to comply with the requirement of that decision, which is legally binding because the International Court of Justice is the highest international court, but also illegally set up a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor about ten days ago. This is a violation not only of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, but also of the decision of the International Court of Justice,” PM Pashinyan said.

“Now, why is Azerbaijan doing all this? Our assessment and belief is that these are not isolated actions, but preparations to carry out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh, Azerbaijan believes Armenians should not live in Nagorno Karabakh at all,” Nikol Pashinyan stated.