Red Cross evacuates 11 patients from blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh

YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has facilitated the transfer of 11 patients from blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for treatment. The patients were accompanied by their attendants, the Ministry of Healthcare of Nagorno-Karabakh said in a statement on Thursday.

The ICRC plans to transfer 13 other patients – with attendants - who’ve completed their treatment in Armenia back to Nagorno-Karabakh later today.

The Nagorno-Karabakh healthcare authorities warned that Azerbaijan is continuously banning the supply of essential medications and medical equipment by the ICRC to Nagorno-Karabakh.

23 children are hospitalized at the Arevik clinic in Nagorno Karabakh. 5 of them are in neonatal and intensive care. Meanwhile, 82 patients are hospitalized at the Republican Medical Center in Stepanakert. 7 of them are in intensive care (2 are critically ill).

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.