The Russian side is taking consistent steps aimed at resolving the dire humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. This is stated in a comment by the official representative of the Russian foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, regarding the Russian humanitarian aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"In accordance with the initiative put forward by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov during the tripartite meeting with the heads of the foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Armenia on July 25 of this year in Moscow, a simultaneous unblocking scheme of the Lachin and Aghdam routes was developed in cooperation with all stakeholders. Given the considerable difference in positions and the high level of mutual mistrust, this work has not been easy.

"As a first step, on September 12 of this year, a batch of humanitarian aid was delivered to the region through the ‘Russian Red Cross’ pan-Russian NGO. About 15 tons of food, personal hygiene items, and bedding were donated to the residents of Nagorno Karabakh who need help. We expect that, taking into account the mutual understanding reached earlier, the Lachin corridor will also be unblocked in the near future, simultaneous with the Aghdam route, after which humanitarian aid will flow to the region from both directions on a regular basis.

"We hope that in this way the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh will stabilize, and the normal activities of the local population will be restored. This, in turn, will create conditions for starting a dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert and resuming the rhythmic work of implementing the entire set of tripartite agreements at the highest level in 2020-2022, to normalize Armenian-Azerbaijani relations," the aforesaid comment reads.