‘We want the Lachin Corridor to be opened immediately,’ U.S. Department of State

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The reopening of the Lachin Corridor and reaching a peaceful resolution between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a priority for the United States, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has said.

At a press briefing on September 14, Miller was asked to elaborate on United States Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, the United States Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Louis Bono’s visit to Armenia.

“He [Bono] continues to engage both on the short-term priority, which is to re-open the Lachin corridor, and of course the – our long-term priority, which I – I say long-term, but we really want it to happen as soon as possible, which is to reach a peaceful resolution to the overall matter,” Miller said.

Speaking about the situation facing the Armenian people in blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh, Miller reiterated the U.S. position that the Lachin Corridor must be opened immediately.

“We want the Lachin Corridor to be opened immediately. We have made that clear. Secretary Blinken has engaged with the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan to make it clear that we want the Lachin Corridor to be opened immediately to address the really dire humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the State Department spokesperson said.

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 and experts warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.