This is the largest attack on the people of Artsakh since the 44-day war in 2020, says Artsakh Foreign Ministry

The ongoing month-long blockade of the Republic of Artsakh and its 120,000 residents by Azerbaijan is described as the largest attack on the people of Artsakh since the 44-day war in 2020. This statement was released by the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh.

“On December 12, 2022, Azerbaijani authorities grossly violated the provisions of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, by blocking the Lachin corridor that connects Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world. As a result, there is a daily escalation of shortages of essential goods, medicines, food, and fuel in the republic. To further deepen the catastrophic effects of the blockade, Azerbaijan has cut off the supply of gas from Armenia to Artsakh through territories occupied by Azerbaijan. Although gas supply has been restored, on January 9, 2023, the electricity supply from Armenia was halted due to an accident on the high-voltage line connecting Goris to Stepanakert, which also passes through occupied territories. To this day, Azerbaijan is deliberately obstructing the recovery efforts from the accident, which indicates the premeditated nature of its actions. Thus, Azerbaijan's actions have pushed Artsakh, with its 120,000 residents, to the brink of a humanitarian disaster.

The blockade of Artsakh is a direct continuation of Azerbaijan's military aggression launched against the Republic of Artsakh and its people with the direct involvement of terrorist organizations from Turkey and the Middle East in 2020. Failing to expel the people of Artsakh from their homeland through military means, Azerbaijan has been persistently attempting, over the last two years since the establishment of the ceasefire, to achieve its criminal goals through less overt, yet equally inhumane methods.

The entirety of Azerbaijan's actions and the official statements revealing the true intentions of its highest leadership in Baku indicate that the blockade of the Republic of Artsakh is yet another instrument of Azerbaijan's policy aimed at the annihilation of the people of Artsakh. By deliberately creating unbearable living conditions, Azerbaijan seeks to undermine the unity and integrity of the Artsakh people, imposing alienation from their historical homeland and refusing to allow the realization of their collective rights. Azerbaijan's actions are undoubtedly a continuation of its genocidal policies.

We call upon states, acting both individually and within international organizations, in accordance with their universal commitment to the protection of human rights and the prevention of the crime of genocide, to take all necessary measures to immediately prevent genocidal actions that Azerbaijan is systematically perpetrating against the people of Artsakh in an atmosphere of absolute impunity. The international community possesses the necessary tools and all legal grounds to intervene in the deteriorating situation in Artsakh. In the context of the impending disaster, the inaction of the international community is unacceptable, including because it is viewed by Azerbaijani authorities as silent encouragement for their criminal actions,” the statement reads.