STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Residents in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) have blocked the Aghdam-Stepanakert road after Azerbaijani authorities announced plans to send what they described as “humanitarian aid” through that road in an apparent effort to whitewash their own lengthy record of human rights violations and disregard for international law. 

The Azerbaijani authorities, who have caused a humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh by blocking the Lachin Corridor, have now unilaterally decided to send what they described as “humanitarian aid” to the victims of their own actions. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani authorities themselves have been blocking Armenian and French humanitarian convoys at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.

Nagorno-Karabakhis believe that Azerbaijan’s move is actually a publicity stunt for the international community and part of a plan to subjugate Nagorno-Karabakh because Baku doesn’t have any intentions of helping them.

The residents blocking the road said despite the severe humanitarian crisis they don’t want to accept any help from a “murderous state,” which has itself created the crisis by blockading the Lachin Corridor.

“We can’t allow the opening of this road, because it would mean the death of Artsakhis. If the Azerbaijanis were to enter Artsakh even under the pretext of humanitarian aid, we wouldn't be able to stop them. We don’t have the right to open this road, it will bring us death, as a result of doing so we would gradually leave Artsakh,” one of the demonstrators warned.

Former Mayor of Askeran, Alyosha Gabrielyan, told Artsakh news outlet that the Azerbaijanis have passed through the Russian peacekeeping checkpoint and want to install tents.

“We are two to four hundred meters away from the Azerbaijanis. We are here to obstruct the access of that so-called aid. We don’t need their aid. Let them open the Lachin Corridor,” Gabrielyan said.

Russian peacekeepers said they won’t allow the Azerbaijanis to advance any further, according to Davit Ghahramanyan, a photojournalist with the Artsakh InfoCenter.