Azerbaijanis again block Lachin Corridor

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. A group of Azerbaijanis describing themselves as “environmentalists” again blocked the Lachin Corridor in the morning of December 12.

The Lachin Corridor is the only road connecting Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) with Armenia.

A similar incident took place earlier on December 3. Then, the authorities of Artsakh said that the self-described Azeri environmentalists were actually secret service operatives seeking to make provocations. Moreover, Artsakh authorities even said they are ready for an international monitoring organization to assess and affirm that the mining operations meet all safety requirements.

Artsakh authorities reported that the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s command is aware of the situation.

Artsakh authorities described the Azerbaijani side’s actions as "unacceptable, aggressive and destructive” and said they are taking all possible steps to resolve the situation, maintaining contact with the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s command.

“We are asking our citizens to stay calm and follow official reports and refrain from spreading unverified information. We will provide updates on further developments,” the Artsakh official Information Center said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations spokesperson Hunan Tadevosyan told ARMENPRESS that the road is currently closed. “A group of Azerbaijanis closed the Shushi section of the interstate road under environmental pretexts,” Tadevosyan said.