MEP Lars Patrick Berg calls on German government, EU to pressure Azerbaijan to open Lachin Corridor

YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. German Member of the European Parliament Lars Patrick Berg has called on the German government and the EU to pressure Azerbaijan into ending the blockade of the Lachin Corridor and not allowing an escalation of the situation.

“The Lachin Corridor must be opened. The fact that even the humanitarian aid by the International Committee of the Red Cross isn’t reaching Nagorno-Karabakh is a totally unacceptable situation. The federal government and the EU Commission must put pressure on Azerbaijan so the situation doesn’t escalate,” Berg tweeted.

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.

Armenia has sent a humanitarian convoy carrying over 361 tons of food and medical supplies for Nagorno-Karabakh. The convoy stopped near the border village of Kornidzor near the entrance of the blockaded Lachin Corridor.

If Azerbaijan blocks the Armenian humanitarian aid convoy from entering Lachin Corridor it corroborates Armenia’s fears that Baku seeks to commit genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, Prime Minister Nikol PashinyanwarnedThursday.