UN Security Council calls for unblocking of Lachin corridor

At the request of the Republic of Armenia, the UN Security Council discussed the situation in the Lachin corridor from 24:00 today. The discussions lasted almost two hours.

Armenia’s representative to the UN Mher Margaryan noted at the meeting in particular that since December 12, communication with Nagorno-Karabakh has been interrupted because Azerbaijan has blocked the only road.

The relevance of the problem is due to the situation developing as a humanitarian crisis. It was created by Azerbaijan as an illegal blockade against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, in direct violation of its own obligations, in particular the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, as well as international obligations. As of December 12, communication with Nagorno-Karabakh was cut off as Azerbaijan began a massive protest campaign along the Lachin corridor, blocking the only road to Nagorno-Karabakh. This is done in violation of point 6 of the trilateral statement, according to which the Lachin corridor should provide communication between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, remaining under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces, while the Republic of Azerbaijan should ensure the safe movement of citizens, cars and cargoes along the Lachin. By organizing an illegal blockade in the Lachin corridor under the far-fetched pretext of environmental problems, Azerbaijan has brought the population to a disastrous state. This blockade on the “road of life” has led to numerous violations, he said.

The Armenian representative to the UN said that there could be a humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno-Karabakh, as negotiations with the parties mediated by peacekeepers have not yet produced any results: The previous incidents also prove that the closure of the Lachin corridor is in fact a pre-planned operation, carried out by the authorities of Azerbaijan in order to harm the population of Artsakh and cause a large-scale humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan’s claims that they have not implemented any restrictions in the Lachin corridor are simply false.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to the UN Yashar Aliyev stated once again that there is no region called Nagorno-Karabakh and that the Lachin corridor is not blocked by anyone. According to Aliyev, Baku is already in direct contact with local Armenians. Thus, as examples of “successful contacts,” the Azerbaijani diplomat mentioned the construction of a new Lachin road and the visit of Azerbaijani specialists to Sarsang reservoir.

He said that Armenia and some third countries are increasingly concerned about these positive developments on the ground, so they resort to all kinds of provocations to create tension and disrupt the fragile settlement process. Appearance of notorious businessman Ruben Vardanyan in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan as well as destabilizing actions of some external actors are obvious evidence of all this, the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the UN said.

The U.S. is deeply concerned about the current impediments to the use of the Lachin corridor and the growing humanitarian consequences of this situation. The U.S. diplomat made it clear that obstacles to the use of the Lachin corridor are setting back the peace process, undermining international confidence in the process. This situation could lead to potentially dire humanitarian consequences. The U.S. calls on the government of Azerbaijan and others responsible for the security of the corridor to restore freedom of movement, including for humanitarian and commercial traffic, as soon as possible, U.S. Representative to the UN Robert Wood told the Security Council.

France called for the immediate and unconditional unblocking of the Lachin corridor. The U.S. representative to the UN called the blocking of transport communication between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh unacceptable and called for the immediate resumption of traffic, including humanitarian goods, through the Lachin corridor.

Russia expects that the movement of vehicles through the Lachin corridor will be fully restored in the near future, the Russian representative said. She noted that Russia is taking all necessary measures to resolve the situation around the Lachin corridor as soon as possible.

Great Britain also called for the immediate opening of the Lachin corridor. The British representative to the UN noted that the closure of the corridor for more than a week now could have dire humanitarian consequences, especially in winter.

According to the Brazilian representative, any obstruction of the Lachin corridor endangers the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and threatens the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

China is concerned about the situation in the Lachin corridor and its humanitarian consequences.  The country’s representative to the UN expressed hope that, with mediation efforts by Russia and other interested parties, the differences between the parties over the Lachin corridor will be resolved as soon as possible.

Ireland calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to restore freedom and security of movement through the Lachin corridor without preconditions, in accordance with the provisions of the statement of November 9, 2020.

Representatives of Kenya, Mexico, Norway and India also called for the unblocking of the Lachin corridor.

The UAE is concerned about the recent increase in tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The UAE representative to the UN stated his country’s principled position that there can be no military solution to the conflict, urging the sides to resolve their differences through peaceful diplomatic means.