The installation of an illegal checkpoint by Azerbaijan in the Lachin corridor, the blocking of electricity and natural gas supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, which basically continues for six months, have extremely aggravated the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this at Friday’s Cabinet meeting of the Armenian government.
"And if during the previous month, for propaganda purposes, Azerbaijan had provided some access through the Lachin corridor through the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers, since yesterday this access has also been reduced to zero, and even the supply of essential food to Nagorno-Karabakh has been stopped. That is, food does not enter Nagorno-Karabakh from the outside world; also, people in need of urgent medical assistance are not allowed to pass through the Lachin corridor. These actions once again substantiate our fear that Azerbaijan is conducting a policy of [Armenian] ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh," added the Armenian PM.
According to him, it is no longer about fear, but about the start of operations by Azerbaijan.
"And how else does ethnic cleansing happen? The supply of food, [natural] gas, and electricity to the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh is blocked, people doing agricultural work are targeted with constant firing, the possibility of movement—even for patients in critical condition—is blocked,” Pashinyan emphasized.
The premier said that Armenia's response to this situation should also be to increase international awareness—not only at the level of organizations and foreign governments, but also at the level of societies.
"Our efforts in this direction should not decrease," Pashinyan added.
He said that they continue to believe that the Azerbaijan-Karabakh dialogue, which is necessary for ensuring the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, is extremely important within the framework of the international mechanism, and we should hope that concrete steps will be taken in this regard.
"At the same time, no matter how difficult, our work toward normalizing relations and establishing peace with Azerbaijan must be continuous; we must be consistent in this matter," added the Armenian premier.
