If Azerbaijan does not allow the entry of humanitarian aid to Nagorno Karabakh through the Lachin corridor, it will prove that its real goal is to starve the people of Nagorno Karabakh and to subject them to genocide, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a cabinet meeting today.

Pashinyan informed that the humanitarian relief has reached Kornidzor, which is located in Syunik region and is the entry to the Lachin corridor linking Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia and the world.

“We have requested that the representatives of the Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh accept the cargo and transport it to Nagorno-Karabakh, where a humanitarian crisis has been in place as a result of the Lachin corridor being illegally blocked for eight months,” he said.  

“Azerbaijan, however, obstructs the entry of humanitarian goods into the Lachin corridor and Nagorno Karabakh. This practice is incomprehensible and unacceptable,” Pashinyan added.  

Further, the Armenian PM said that Azerbaijan's pretext for illegally blocking the Lachin corridor was that Armenia was using the corridor for military purposes.

“Of course, this is an absurd claim, but this claim was used as an excuse for the illegal blocking of the Lachin corridor," he explained.

“Why does Azerbaijan not allow this cargo to enter Nagorno Karabakh? Is it not because the real goal of Azerbaijan is to starve the people of Nagorno Karabakh, to subject them to genocide?” Nikol Pashinyan said.

“Regardless of our assessments, we are waiting for a positive response from the Russian peacekeeping force, official Baku, because not allowing the entry of humanitarian cargo will only confirm the fears over Baku's intention to orchestrate genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The entry of the humanitarian cargo waiting at the entrance of the Lachin corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh will contribute to efforts to establish peace in the region. It will be a positive step on the way to establishing an atmosphere of trust," Nikol Pashinyan explained.