Armenian citizens did not move unhindered through the illegal checkpoint, Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Minister of State Gurgen Nersisyan stated.

"When the process of transporting medical patients to medical facilities in Armenia through the ICRC Stepanakert office has barely been restored through the Lachin corridor and several days of negotiations are being held to organize each trip so that a civilian is not abducted from a car bearing the ICRC logo, Azerbaijan published information yesterday as if to see how Armenian citizens pass through the ‘checkpoint’ installed on the Hakari bridge unhindered. Surprisingly, the Turkish media also appeared at the same place at that moment, the Artsakh state minister noted.

"In reality, however, the persons who passed through the ‘checkpoint" were persons performing civil service in the Russian peacekeeping forces’ contingent in Artsakh, they were taken to the ‘checkpoint’ by the peacekeeping forces and their vehicles. And before the meeting of the UN Security Council, Azerbaijan tried to use that incident for the purpose of another staging,”

"From the videos, it is clearly seen how the vehicles of the Russian peacekeepers travel from their location of deployment in the direction of the Lachin corridor on 14.08.2023 and how people from the location of deployment of the peacekeepers cross into the Republic of Armenia at the ‘checkpoint,’" Gurgen Nersisyan noted.