A mechanism of international peacekeepers is needed to guarantee the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the founding chairman of Rasmussen Global international political consultancy organization and former Secretary General of NATO who is visiting Armenia, said this during an interview with First Channel television of Armenia.

Rasmussen said he is in Armenia at the invitation of the Armenian government to help the country have stronger ties, especially with the EU and the West, Armenia needs reliable friends, and he will try to help the country get those friends.

According to him, the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan is inhumane and illegal, he had the opportunity to talk with people who lived in Nagorno-Karabakh, there is a lack of food and medicine there.

Rasmussen noted that a few weeks ago, the International Court of Justice made a decision to have the Lachin corridor reopened, this is a binding decision, and this blockade is a violation of international law.

Also, the former Secretary General of NATO sent a message to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev to stop the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh immediately. Rasmussen said he believes that Aliyev does not want to become an international aggressor. Also, Rasmussen said he would encourage the EU to maximize its pressure on Aliyev, as since the EU already has energy cooperation with Azerbaijan, this can be an excellent platform to tell Aliyev that he cannot violate international law and go unpunished.

Rasmussen added that he also encourages the EU to increase its monitoring mission in Armenia to make sure that Azerbaijan will avoid further aggression against Armenia and to make sure that a peace treaty between the two countries will be fair in terms of guaranteeing the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.