Aliyev Declares That the Lachin Corridor is Open for Armenians Who Wish to Leave Artsakh, Says Pashinyan

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, stated during a discussion at the German Council on Foreign Relations that Azerbaijan's growing aggression towards Nagorno-Karabakh clarifies its intentions to carry out ethnic cleansing of Armenians.

Pashinyan mentioned that the 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh have been deprived of natural gas, electricity, food, medical care, and other vital supplies. He recalled that 30,000 children and students have been denied the right to education.

“Recently, Azerbaijani President Aliyev announced that the Lachin Corridor is open for those Armenians wishing to leave Artsakh. This implies that the Lachin Corridor is closed for those Armenians who live in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Prime Minister asserted.

Pashinyan also noted that Azerbaijan has yet to comply with the International Court of Justice's ruling, and traffic through the Lachin Corridor remains disrupted. The Prime Minister stated that although the supply of natural gas has been restored, the electricity supply to Nagorno-Karabakh, which was halted on January 9, 2023, has not yet been resumed. Food supplies are still provided through vouchers, and people are deprived of urgent medical assistance.

“Only the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers have the capacity to deliver limited amounts of food and essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as transport those needing urgent medical intervention to hospitals in Armenia,” Nikol Pashinyan said.