YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. The United States on Friday reiterated Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call for an immediate reopening of the Lachin corridor to commercial and private traffic.

U.S. Acting Deputy Chief of Mission John Allelo was among the members of the diplomatic corps to travel to Syunik on Friday, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. 

“Acting DCM John Allelo joined the diplomatic corps in Syunik and heard from displaced persons and regional officials about the suffering caused by continued blockage of the Lachin corridor. We reiterate Secretary Blinken’s call for an immediate reopening of the corridor to commercial and private traffic,” the US Embassy said in the statement.

Representatives of the diplomatic corps in Armenia visited on Friday the village of Kornidzor in the Syunik Province where a humanitarian convoy carrying emergency food and medical aid to Nagorno-Karabakh remains blocked by Azerbaijan at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

The members of the diplomatic corps took stock of the situation on the ground.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan 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 been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno-Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.