By imposing a blockade against Artsakh the Azerbaijani side tries to create unbearable living conditions, exert psychological pressure on the people of Artsakh and, ultimately, force people to leave their homeland, Artsakh Republic Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan said in an interview with Artsakhpress.

"We consider such actions of Azerbaijan as an element of genocidal policy aimed at the annihilation of the Artsakh people as such.

Today's blockade is a direct continuation of the military aggression against the Republic of Artsakh and its people, unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020 with the direct participation of Turkey and terrorist fighters and mercenaries from the Middle East. As a result of Azerbaijani aggression, vast territories of Artsakh, including the city of Shushi and the Hadrut region were occupied. Some 38,000 people lost their homes and became refugees and displaced persons. More than 90,000 of the 150,000-strong population of Artsakh were forced to take refuge in Armenia, fleeing the horrors of war. However, after the establishment of a ceasefire, most of the inhabitants of Artsakh returned to their homeland. Having failed to achieve all its goals during the aggression in 2020, Azerbaijan resorted to other means to implement its criminal plans. The ultimate goal of this policy is to suppress the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination by expelling and destroying the people of Artsakh as such. Azerbaijan acts according to the principle of "no people, no problem," the minister said.

Answering a question about Azerbaijan's international response, Ghazaryan said that Stepanakert welcomes the international community's statements on the need to unblock the Lachin corridor and all of Artsakh as soon as possible. In this context, a comprehensive rather than fragmented approach to the situation in Artsakh as a result of Azerbaijan's blockade is important.

"The blockade of Artsakh is not only a humanitarian problem, but also an issue of violation of individual and collective rights of its people. The international community should also view the blockade not as an isolated action, but as just another episode in a series of widespread and systematic attacks by Azerbaijan against the people of Artsakh and violations of their rights. Through the blockade, Azerbaijan is intentionally creating for the people of Artsakh conditions of life calculated to bring about their expulsion from their historic homeland. The statements of the Azerbaijani leadership that the Lachin corridor is open for those who want to leave Artsakh attest that through the blockade the Azerbaijani authorities are implementing their policy of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.

We call on the community of nations to exercise a comprehensive legal approach to the issue of Artsakh and the rights of its people and, in accordance with their international commitments on preventing mass atrocities, to immediately activate the existing mechanisms of early prevention of genocides," the Foreign Minister said.