U.S. again calls for opening of Lachin Corridor and Aghdam route

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The United States has reiterated the importance of opening the two routes, including the Lachin Corridor, into Nagorno-Karabakh.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, speaking at a press briefing, said that the U.S. continues to work to resolve the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“I’ll just say that we continue to work to resolve the situation between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he said, adding that Secretary Blinken has been personally involved in this, with “multiple conversations just in the past week.”

“We did note…that in the last 24 hours one shipment of humanitarian supplies passed through the Aghdam route into Nagorno-Karabakh, and so we will reiterate our call on the specific question about the importance of opening both corridors into the country as a short-term matter, and as a more long-term matter, the two countries coming to an ultimate agreement,” he added.

On September 12, a truck carrying Russian humanitarian aid for Nagorno-Karabakh reached Stepanakert through the Aghdam-Askeran road.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to 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. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

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 and experts warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.