YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has utilized all diplomatic efforts over the Azerbaijani blocking of gas supply to Artsakh, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.

During parliamentary questions time the FM was asked by MP Tatevik Gasparyan to mention what work the foreign ministry has done on the international arena to present to the world the Azerbaijani actions that created a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh.

Mirzoyan said they’ve utilized all diplomatic efforts in both cases of the disruptions of gas supplies.

“First of all we maintain close, regular contact with our Russian partners. The damaged site…..or rather in this case it is already clear how to call it….anyhow, the location of the damaged or closed part is in the area of responsibility of the peacekeepers. And we have primary contact with our Russian partners, but we also maintain contact with the rest of the civilized world,” Mirzoyan said.

The FM said they are already receiving responses from the international community.

FM Mirzoyan said that during the first incident of the gas supply interruption the Armenian Prime Minister spoke about this issue with the US Secretary of State, the Russian President and the French President, and the foreign ministry has done everything through its channels to raise this issue. “The same this time. We already see reactions.”

On March 8, the authorities of Artsakh said that the main pipeline supplying gas from Armenia to Artsakh was damaged and the supply was stopped.

The Artsakh authorities had said the area where the damage occurred was in Azerbaijani-controlled territory. It was reported that the Azerbaijani military deliberately damaged the pipeline.

The Azerbaijani authorities obstructed repair works for days. Only on March 16 the authorities in Artsakh announced that the Azerbaijani side itself began the repair work. However, days later, the gas supply was cut again. Authorities said they have reasons to believe that during the repairs the Azeri authorities installed a valve on the pipeline in order to shut it down whenever they want.

Meanwhile, the population of Artsakh is without gas and heating amid freezing temperatures and snowfalls.

On March 22 the Human Rights Defender of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan and the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan issued a joint statement, calling on international human rights organizations to pressure Azerbaijan and eliminate its gross and continuous human rights violations against the Armenians of Artsakh.