Free movement in the Lachin corridor must be urgently restored, say PACE rapporteurs

Following their visit to Armenia from February 17-19 to assess the situation around the Lachin corridor and the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the monitoring rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland) and Boriana Åberg (Sweden), made a statement.

According to Armpress, citing the PACE website, the rapporteurs emphasized that the situation in the Lachin corridor requires immediate action.

“As of today, residents of Nagorno-Karabakh are unable to exit freely, and we have been informed that 954 people remain stranded on both sides of the corridor. Movement is only permitted for vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeepers, which is clearly insufficient to meet the needs of the population. Furthermore, it is vital that goods be delivered in a timely manner as the planting season approaches. The free movement of all vehicles must be urgently restored in accordance with the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020,” the rapporteurs stated.

In addition, the PACE rapporteurs noted that multiple interruptions in the gas and electricity supply in Nagorno-Karabakh have led to serious violations of residents' rights. Many have already lost their jobs, and children have been deprived of education as schools have had to close.

“We remind of our joint statement with the rapporteurs on Azerbaijan from December 16, 2022, which called for the restoration of freedom of movement through the Lachin corridor, and the European Court of Human Rights ruling of December 21, 2022, which urged the Azerbaijani authorities to take all necessary measures to ensure safe passage through the 'Lachin corridor', particularly for 'seriously ill individuals in need of medical assistance and others who find themselves in difficult situations on the road'. We also take note of the International Court of Justice's decision of February 22, 2023, stating that 'Azerbaijan must take all available measures to ensure unhindered movement of people, vehicles, and cargo in both directions through the Lachin corridor.' We invite all members of the Assembly to bring this situation to the attention of their relevant national parliaments and join our call for the immediate cessation of the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor,” the rapporteurs emphasized.

Regarding the situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the PACE rapporteurs investigated the consequences of attacks by Azerbaijani troops on civilian infrastructure in the towns of Jermuk and Sotk. “We documented evidence of the use of cluster munitions in civilian areas and have preserved this evidence for further investigation. We were shown the presence of Azerbaijani military positions on Armenian sovereign territory, sometimes far from the disputed border,” the PACE rapporteurs noted.

They commend the deployment of the European Union's civilian mission at the border, noting the significant tangible results of the previous mission in reducing tensions.

“We urge both sides to advance discussions on the delimitation of the border and to agree on the mirror withdrawal of troops from the border as an immediate confidence-building measure. We will report our findings to the PACE monitoring committee at its next session. We remain closely attentive to future developments and reaffirm our readiness to provide all necessary political support at the parliamentary level for achieving a long-term peaceful resolution,” concluded the PACE rapporteurs.

During their visit, the rapporteurs traveled to Jermuk, Goris, and Vardenis, as well as the entrance to the Lachin corridor from the Armenian side. They met with local officials and residents of Nagorno-Karabakh stranded in Goris due to the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor.