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ICRC evacuates 11 patients from Nagorno-Karabakh
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STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 8, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Nagorno-Karabakh office has facilitated the transfer of 11 patients to Armenia, the Nagorno-Karabakh Ministry of Healthcare said in a statement Tuesday, the first medical evacuation since July 29, when Azeri border guards kidnapped a 68-year-old evacuee.
9 of the patients require life-saving hemodialysis while two others are seriously-ill cancer patients.
9 other patients, accompanied by their attendants, who have received treatment in Armenia are expected to return to Nagorno-Karabakh under ICRC mediation later today.
The Azerbaijani side is continuously prohibiting the ICRC supply of essential medicine and medical items into Nagorno-Karabakh, while many patients await their turn for medical evacuation and return, the ministry said.
30 children are hospitalized in the Arevik clinic, 9 of whom are in neonatal and intensive care.
Another 80 patients are hospitalized in the Republican Medical Center. 8 patients are under intensive care, 4 of whom are in critical condition.
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.
On July 26, Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy carrying emergency food and medication for Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan blocked the trucks at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.
