ICRC evacuates 11 patients from Nagorno-Karabakh

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 18, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross facilitated the evacuation of 11 patients from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for treatment, the Ministry of Healthcare of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) said on Friday.

The patients were accompanied by their attendants.

The ICRC plans to transport 9 other patients, who completed treatment in Armenia, together with their attendants back to Nagorno-Karabakh on Friday.

27 children are hospitalized at Arevik clinic. 8 of them are in neonatal and intensive care.

82 patients are hospitalized in the Republican Medical Center of Stepanakert. 4 are in intensive care (2 are critically ill).

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to 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. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

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. Recently a 40-year-old man died of starvation and a pregnant woman suffered miscarriage as a result of the blockade.