YEREVAN, JANUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. The unlawful blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan continues for already 25 days. This action, which led to a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh – has caused a broad reaction of calls to unblock the corridor, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting. “Despite this, Azerbaijan fails to take action to resolve the issue. By closing the Lachin Corridor Azerbaijan is grossly violating its direct obligation under the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, which causes serious questions regarding official Baku’s capacity to contract,” the Prime Minister said.

Azerbaijan is attempting to misattribute to Armenia the conduct of not fulfilling its own obligations, the PM said. Pashinyan emphasized that Azerbaijan’s narrative is completely made up.

“It is also important to note that different arguments are being brought forward on the closure of the Lachin Corridor, but I believe that the deepest and real reason is that the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh continue to live in their homeland and the international community began to record more and more clearly Azerbaijan’s visible policy of subjecting the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh to ethnic cleansing and genocide. In this sense we expect more substantive steps from the international community, including from the UN Security Council-member Russian Federation, whose peacekeeping contingent is deployed in Nagorno Karabakh and whose direct obligation under the 9 November 2020 statement is to keep the Lachin Corridor under control,” the PM said.

Speaking about the current situation in the region, PM Pashinyan reiterated Armenia’s commitment to the 9 November 2020, 11 January and 26 November 2021 and 31 October 2022 trilateral statements, as well as the 6 October 2022 quadrilateral agreements in Prague. “I have to emphasize that the continuous blockade of Lachin Corridor makes it even more necessary to deploy an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno Karabakh and Lachin Corridor and it is necessary to make continuous efforts in this direction,” the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan reminded to the Cabinet members that Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan is leading the task force launched on 30 December 2022 to assist the people of Nagorno Karabakh in managing the humanitarian crisis. “The task force has already convened several sessions and is making situational decisions of humanitarian nature and will continue to work as long as necessary,” Pashinyan said.