Baku Wants to Close the Lachin Corridor, Circulating False Thesis and Preparing for Aggression, Artsakh Ombudsman

In November, 12-13 cases of ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan have been recorded, targeting also the civilian population and farmers engaged in agricultural work in the fields, resulting in damage to agricultural equipment and halting farm activities. This was stated by Gegham Stepanyan, the Ombudsman of Artsakh, in an interview with 24.TV.

"These are systematic and consistent actions carried out under the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and the genocidal policies against the people of Artsakh. Over the past two years, Artsakh law enforcement agencies have recorded 121 cases of ceasefire violation, resulting in the deaths of 18 people, three of whom were civilians. A total of 132 individuals have been subjected to attempted murder, 54 of whom were civilians," he noted.

Addressing the false information circulated by Azerbaijan over the past week that the Armenian side fired shots, Stepanyan pointed out that Azerbaijan always spreads disinformation before resorting to large-scale aggression, trying to create a legitimate basis for what they describe as "punitive" actions. This situation raises concerns that they may be preparing for extensive aggression.

Referring to another piece of misinformation claiming that the "Armenian side is using the Lachin corridor for military operations because mines produced in Armenia were discovered in the Kelbajar and Lachin areas last year," Stepanyan emphasized that while Azerbaijan has recorded the existence of the Lachin corridor in the statement of November 9, they struggle to accept this provision. They attempt to treat the Lachin corridor as a significant concession to Artsakh and are trying to link it to the roads passing through Syunik, or as they say, the "Zangezur corridor,” which, according to the Ombudsman of Artsakh, is a distortion of facts and reality.

“By accusing the Lachin corridor of allegedly being used for military purposes, Azerbaijan seeks to undermine the credibility of the Russian peacekeepers and cast a shadow on their work. Moreover, Azerbaijan has called for peacekeepers to use Azerbaijani names, etc. In my opinion, these false theses are circulated to check the public’s reaction to the possibility of such actions. They are not far from the idea of closing the corridor; such theses are being circulated to serve these ideas,” he stated.