Russia Blocks Adoption of UN Security Council President's Statement on Lachin Corridor

Due to Russia's stance, the adoption of the UN Security Council President's statement regarding the Lachin Corridor was blocked as a result of the emergency meeting on December 20. This information was reported by Factor.am, referencing diplomatic sources.

According to the news outlet, in the days following the meeting, discussions and negotiations were held regarding the UN Security Council President's statement on the Lachin Corridor proposed by France. After lengthy negotiations, a text of a balanced statement was agreed upon by UN Security Council members.

Although Albania and the UAE did not initially agree with certain phrasing in the text, they eventually came to a consensus. However, the Russian Federation effectively derailed the adoption of the statement by proposing several last-minute amendments, calculated to be rejected by other members, which indeed occurred.

Our diplomatic source emphasized that the Russian side made such a proposal at the last moment when other countries had already reached an agreement. Details regarding the nature of the proposals have not been disclosed.

The spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vahan Hunanyan, commented on this information, saying, “I do not possess detailed information in this regard, as discussions about the adoption of the statement are ongoing among the Security Council members, and Armenia is not a member of the Security Council. Nevertheless, I can mention that the UN Security Council President's statement, which was mentioned by the representative of France at the December 20 meeting, currently does not exist.”

It should be noted that although there is no deadline for the adoption of the UN Security Council President's statement, Russia's demand for changes to the proposal agreed upon by all countries effectively torpedoes the process, bringing the likelihood of the President's statement being adopted to zero.

Recall that on December 15, the UN Security Council convened a meeting based on Armenia's request regarding the closure of the Lachin Corridor, where member states publicly called for the opening of the road vital for Artsakh. Azerbaijan has kept it closed for 19 days.