Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: Having blocked the Lachin corridor connecting Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] with Armenia for more than four months under the name of a fake environmental action, Azerbaijan opened its cards even more on Sunday by placing a checkpoint on the road. This was what the Azerbaijani side pursued from the beginning, and which the Artsakh authorities opposed at all costs. As a compromise, they proposed that at least X-ray scanner devices be installed, which will enable monitoring the contents of the cargo from a distance, but that Azerbaijani soldiers should not be stationed at the entrance to Artsakh.

Azerbaijan justified its demand by saying that as if weapons are being transported from Armenia to Artsakh, and that is why it wants to establish surveillance. Months ago, in the tripartite negotiations, we had made a compromise on the matter of installing X-ray devices so that vehicles with more than three tons of baggage could be inspected on that section of the road and monitoring be carried out by the Russian peacekeepers, and the Azerbaijani side follow the process online.

However, as it can be seen, Azerbaijan's ambitions are becoming more brazen and expanding day by day, as no resistance is shown to them, and they are gradually expanding these demands. The installation of the checkpoint already implies not only the inspection of trucks, but also the confirmation of the passport regime; moreover, the monitoring will be carried out there by the Azerbaijanis themselves. This means that the de-Armenianization of Artsakh will be a matter of months, if not days.

 (…) And the RF [(Russian Federation)] MFA announced yesterday that the change of the Lachin corridor regime is unacceptable.

Throughout the previous day, the political elite of Artsakh were in discussion all day. At the meeting of the Security Council convened on the same day, President Arayik Harutyunyan told those in attendance that he had talked with the leadership of the [Russian] peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh, they told him that they have reported the incident to the superiors and were waiting for a response.

In addition, Harutyunyan noted that a [Armenian PM] Pashinyan-[Russian President] Putin telephone conversation is expected, after which Pashinyan will convey to him the position of official Moscow. The telephone conversation did not take place until the end of the working day yesterday. The participants of the march organized in Artsakh on Sunday also decided to move to the presidential [office] and demand clarifications from Arayik Harutyunyan regarding what happened. But the representatives of the political field said that the AR [(Artsakh Republic)] authorities also still do not know anything and are waiting for an answer.

Artsakh opposition circles believe that Nikol Pashinyan has already reached an agreement with [Azerbaijani president] Aliyev, as evidenced also by his statements made in the parliament last week, by which the actual RA Prime Minister recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. Now the second phase has begun: how to "throw" what he has handed over and agreed upon “into other people's pockets.”