Pashinyan: Azerbaijan Intends to Open Lachin to Allow Exit From Nagorno Karabakh, But Prevent Re-entry

YEREVAN — Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan told a government meeting today that he has received reliable information that Azerbaijan is planning to reopen the Lachin corridor for those residents of Nagorno-Karabakh that wish to travel to Armenia and ban their and other Nagorno-Karabakh residents’ re-entry.

He said thousands of Nagorno-Karabakh residents are currently in Armenia being unable to return to their homes.

According to Pashinyan, about 5,000 Karabakh residents cannot return to Nagorno-Karabakh due to the illegal closure of the Lachin Corridor last December, and another 30,000 are still in .

He added that Article 7 of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 stipulates that “internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to the territory of Nagorno Karabakh and adjacent regions under the control of the Agency of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.”

‘Azerbaijan’s failure to fulfill this point and other facts continuously prove that Azerbaijan’s main goal is to force Armenians out of Nagorno-Karabakh by means of ethnic cleansing, be it through starvation, military operation or other means,’ Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said there is information proving that Baku continues to torpedo dialogue with Stepanakert by various means, trying to place the responsibility on Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Armenia’s position remains the same. Issues related to the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh should be addressed through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue within the framework of international mechanisms,’ Pashinyan said.