Azerbaijan presented fabricated accusations to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and completely closed the Lachin corridor under that pretext.

The State Border Service of Azerbaijan issued a statement, the Azerbaijani media reported.

In it, it is noted that "over the past period, employees of the State Border Service have repeatedly detected attempts to smuggle various types of goods in ICRC vehicles” through the Lachin checkpoint.

“Although the ICRC was warned about this through official channels, the illegal actions continued and the necessary steps were not taken to prevent them.

“The use for smuggling purposes of vehicles belonging to the ICRC and reserved for medical evacuation is not only a gross violation of the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but also an abuse of the trust that our country has placed in the ICRC as a humanitarian organisation.

“A criminal case has been opened under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan in connection with the above-mentioned facts, and passage through the ‘Lachin’ state border checkpoint has been temporarily suspended until necessary investigative measures have been completed.

“All facts of smuggling have been documented on the spot by means of operational footage," the Azerbaijani mass media added, in particular.