STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The State Minister of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Gurgen Nersisyan has denied reports claiming that Russian peacekeepers are evacuating the population of Artsakh and transferring large numbers of people to Armenia.

Furthermore, Nersisyan said that from now on travel from Artsakh to Armenia will be possible only for highly essential cases.

“From now on, traveling from Artsakh to Armenia will be possible only in highly essential cases and exclusively through applying in advance to the Center for Cooperation with the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent and with their permission.

Since Azerbaijan’s blockade of the only road linking Artsakh with Armenia, the Armenians of Artsakh were deprived for a long time of the possibility to travel to Armenia from Artsakh.

Given the constant issues people face in their lives, such as death of a relative in Armenia, funeral, severe illness of a family member in Armenia in case of separated families, surgery and others, and the growth of tension, the Russian peacekeepers recently began transporting in a certain intervals the citizens who are facing such issues.

In order to keep the abovementioned process under control and protect our citizens from possible Azerbaijani provocations in the blockaded part of the road, from now on it will be possible to travel from Artsakh to Armenia only in highly essential cases, naturally through the Russian peacekeepers, exclusively by applying in advance to the Center for Cooperation with the Russian peacekeeping contingent and with their permission. Regarding people with health issues requiring medical attention, their transfer to Armenia will be organized through the Artsakh representation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, with recommendation of the healthcare ministry of Artsakh.

At the same time, we inform that the reports claiming that the Russian peacekeepers are evacuating or transporting en masse the Artsakhians to Armenia are untrue, these reports are yet another manifestation of the Azerbaijani information attacks,” Nersisyan said.