Permanent Rapporteur for Azerbaijan Zeljana Zovko has called for the urgent lifting of the blockade preventing the supply of food and other basic necessities to the local population, the European Parliament reported.

According to her, the blockade must be lifted without delay to avoid any humanitarian consequences and an irreparable negative impact on the peace process.

She called upon the Government of Azerbaijan to take all measures within its competence and in accordance with the commitments it undertook in the tripartite ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020, necessary to restore free movement through the corridor and to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the local population, given the shortage of food, medicine and other basic necessities.

Zeljana also called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve all problems related to the functioning of the Lachin corridor through dialogue and consultation with all parties involved, and on the EU institutions to immediately step up their involvement in mediation efforts and preventive diplomacy to contribute to resolving the ongoing crisis and prevent further escalation.