YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan held a meeting on May 24 with UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu in New York City.

Gevorgyan presented the worsening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, emphasizing that these Armenophobia-fuelled illegal actions attest to Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing against the people of Nagorno Karabakh, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Azerbaijan’s ongoing gross violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination over many decades and the importance of the implementation of the ICJ February 22 ruling were discussed.

Vahe Gevorgyan attached importance to the close cooperation between Armenia and the office of the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide as part of the UN Prevention Agenda, emphasizing the need for the Special Adviser’s active involvement for launching UN mechanisms for prevention of genocide and other mass crimes.

Lachin Corridor – the only road linking Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world – has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022. The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan on 22 February 2023 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 so far ignored the order.