All Efforts Being Made to Resolve Issue Quickly Without Yielding to Azerbaijan's Unreasonable Demands - Vardanian's Advisor

In an interview with "Hraparak," Mesrop Arakelyan, advisor to the newly appointed Prime Minister of Artsakh, Ruben Vardanian, and co-founder of the "Living Country" party, discussed the current situation in Artsakh and the Azerbaijani fake environmentalists holding locals in blockade.

- Mr. Arakelyan, what information do you have about the situation in Artsakh? Are you in touch with Ruben Vardanian, and how does he assess the situation?

- I am currently in Yerevan and have not been able to return to Artsakh for two days, but I am fully aware of the information. It is known that since yesterday, a group of Azerbaijanis has blocked the only road to Artsakh in the Shushi area under yet another fake environmental pretext. They are still there, which clearly causes a significant humanitarian disaster, hindering not only the movement of people but also the supply of essential goods, including medications. Moreover, we have serious problems regarding several patients that need to be transported to Yerevan; they are currently at the hospital in Stepanakert. Overall, this is yet another provocation by Azerbaijan with another fake agenda. The authorities of Artsakh are not making any concessions because their pretexts are not environmental at all. Steps are currently being taken by the government, both in collaboration with Russian peacekeepers and informing the international community, since this is not merely a technical issue of road closure, but actually the 120,000 residents of Artsakh are being blockaded, and we expect not only a reaction from the international community but also concrete actions in this direction.

- Are you in touch with Ruben Vardanian? What does he say? How does he envision the resolution of the issue? Has he tried to negotiate or meet with the parties?

- Both yesterday and today, meetings of the Security Council of Artsakh have taken place, as well as a statement from the National Assembly presented to the public. Today, a meeting was also held under Ruben Vardanian’s leadership regarding civil defense, so officials will respond more operatively to potential issues in a 24-hour regime.

- Are there sufficient supplies of food, medications, and other necessary means to ensure a normal life, at least for some time?

- At least at this moment, there is no panic, but naturally, there is a problem with transporting medications to Artsakh and ensuring the populace's access to them, which is being conducted on a daily basis. Additionally, several patients are currently facing quite serious issues regarding their transportation to Yerevan.

- What does Ruben Vardanian personally think about the current situation, considering he probably understood the circumstances under which he took this position? If this situation continues for a long time, will the population of Artsakh face a serious humanitarian disaster, in which he would also be considered a stakeholder?

- At this moment, the authorities of Artsakh are doing everything possible to resolve this issue as quickly as possible without yielding to Azerbaijan’s unreasonable demands. The Republic of Artsakh is ready for real discussions involving international organizations about environmental issues, but under the guise of environmental pretexts, the authorities of Artsakh and the population will not yield to Azerbaijan's other demands.

- What are the demands of these