VIDEO: We Have Been Under Blockade for Over 200 Hours, Ruben Vardanyan on the Situation in Artsakh

The issue of Artsakh has been discussed in the UN Security Council. Ruben Vardanyan, the State Minister of Artsakh, presented the current situation in Artsakh during a live broadcast.

“Yesterday, a session of the UN Security Council took place, where the issue of Artsakh was discussed. This is very important because the question of Artsakh was raised from the highest platform. We have been under blockade for over 200 hours, and the UN's response in this regard was unacceptable and sharp. I want to thank all the members,” said the State Minister.

Azerbaijan has launched a mass campaign, sponsored by the state, and violated the provisions of the tripartite declaration, according to which there should be a connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin corridor. This statement was made by Armen Margaryan, Armenia's Permanent Representative to the UN, at the Security Council session.

Earlier, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the UN Security Council would hold a session at Armenia’s request regarding the situation at the border with Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan denies its responsibility, bringing false pretexts. Azerbaijan has one of the lowest ratings on democracy in the world, there are dozens of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, and it is impossible to carry out civil actions without state support,” said the Armenian representative.

Margaryan emphasized that Azerbaijan aims to create a large-scale humanitarian disaster in Nagorno-Karabakh. Currently, 120,000 people are being held hostage by Azerbaijan.

“Despite the efforts of the peacekeeping forces, negotiations have so far yielded no results,” he noted.

The Armenian side demands that the UN deploy a fact-finding mission in the Lachin corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on-site and calls on the Security Council to take necessary actions within its mandate and condemn Baku’s aggressive actions, which pose a vital threat to the Armenian population.

It should be noted that on the morning of December 12 at 10:30 AM, a group of Azerbaijanis closed the Shushi-Karin section of the Stepanakert-Goris highway, citing environmental reasons, thereby blockading 120,000 residents of Artsakh. 1,100 civilians, including 270 minors, are unable to return to Artsakh, some of whom are temporarily staying in the Syunik region. Transportation connections between the villages of Lisagor, Mets Shen, Hin Shen, and Yeghdzahog in the Shushi region and the capital Stepanakert have been interrupted.

Azerbaijan also disrupted the gas supply to the Republic of Artsakh starting from December 13. The gas supply was restored on December 16.