USAID Administrator calls for monitoring presence in NK

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. There must be an international presence in Nagorno-Karabakh to assess whether Azerbaijan is implementing its commitments, USAID Administrator Samantha Power said at a press conference in Yerevan.

"First and foremost, we are calling on Azerbaijan to maintain the ceasefire and take concrete steps to protect the rights of civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh. President [Ilham] Aliyev has promised to guarantee the rights of ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan must live up to that promise, and more than that, and critically, the world must be able to verify that Azerbaijan is living up to that promise. All parties should allow for an international humanitarian assessment, and a monitoring presence on the ground to track Azerbaijan's adherence to its commitments and provide real time reporting to the international community. And vitally, Azerbaijan must permanently and fully reopen the Lachin Corridor to passenger, commercial, and humanitarian traffic. The promises to protect the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh will remain hollow until civilians are allowed to leave and return at will. Until shipments of food, medicine, and supplies are able to reach communities. And until humanitarian actors, like USAID, are given the access we need to meet urgent humanitarian needs," the USAID chief said.