Toivo Klaar on Ensuring Transparency of Cargo Transported via the Lachin Corridor

The European Union's Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia, Toivo Klaar, considers the idea of ensuring transparency for cargo transported via the Lachin Corridor to be justified. He stated this in an interview with the Azerbaijani APA agency.

At the same time, he noted that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh should also feel secure. “No cargo that would increase tensions should be transported along that route. Meanwhile, ways and means to achieve this transparency are a subject of discussions and negotiations,” he said.

It is significant that earlier this year, in January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned that Russia proposed allowing the Russian peacekeeping contingent authorized by the trilateral agreement to monitor traffic, checking each vehicle to exclude prohibited, non-humanitarian goods. In February, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced that he had proposed to the Armenian side to establish checkpoints on both sides of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” and between Lachin and Armenia.

Klaar stated that there are several ways to achieve transparency, some of which have already been discussed. “For example, having additional equipment at checkpoints so that the Russians can better monitor traffic in the area,” he noted.

Referring to the idea of installing a checkpoint on both sides of the road running through the Lachin Corridor and into Armenia (which would connect the main part of Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan), the diplomat said that there is an opinion in Armenia that Lachin and Zangezur are two separate issues. “The Lachin Corridor is reflected in one of the points of the statement adopted in November 2020, while there is also the issue of communication between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, which is reflected in another point of the statement adopted in November 2020. They are mentioned in different points of the statement, and the approaches are different. However, ultimately, this issue is a subject of negotiations and discussions,” Klaar noted.