The closure of the Lachin corridor is a gross violation of point 6 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. Two of the parties to the tripartite statement, Azerbaijan and Russia, are bound by this point. This was announced by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the Armenian government.

"Azerbaijan guarantees the safety of the movement of people, vehicles, and cargo through the Lachin Corridor, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent [in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] keeps the Lachin corridor under overseeing.

The statement being circulated by Azerbaijan on international platforms that the Lachin corridor is open for traffic is empty and has nothing to do with reality. The Lachin corridor has been closed off by Azerbaijan, and this is a gross violation of its international obligations.

Even if we rely on Azerbaijan's propaganda hypothesis that the Lachin corridor was closed by eco-activists, according to point 6 of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, ensuring the safe movement of people, vehicles, and cargo through the Lachin corridor is Azerbaijan's direct obligation. Under these conditions, a clear explanation of the situation should be provided by the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh and Russian, which has undertaken specific security obligations to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh," he announced.

Pashinyan emphasized that if Russia is unable to ensure stability and security in Nagorno-Karabakh due to objective or subjective reasons, it should initiate a discussion at the UN Security Council session and raise the matter of endowing the Russian peacekeepers with a UN Security Council mandate, or sending an additional multinational peacekeeping force to Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Such a question arises also because the closure of the Lachin corridor is not the first case of Azerbaijan invading the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh," he added.

According to the Armenian premier, there are all signs to claim that Azerbaijan is preparing another military provocation, including in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"I must honestly say that the Republic of Armenia is a firm supporter of the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh and an advocate of that presence. But the more and more visible behavior of Russian peacekeepers to become a silent witness to the de-Armenization of Nagorno-Karabakh is unacceptable to us. In any case, we should work closely with Russia and other international partners to clarify these issues in order to prevent further escalation of the situation and to achieve comprehensive settlements," the Armenian PM emphasized.