Azerbaijani Foreign Minister: Armenia is Not Interested in the Transparent Operation of the Lachin Corridor

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov wrote in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that “Armenia is not interested in the transparent operation of the Lachin corridor.” This letter was a response to the International Court’s February 22 ruling regarding the Lachin corridor.

The Foreign Minister noted in the letter that the Azerbaijani government bears no responsibility for the protests organized by civil society representatives along the Lachin road and cannot use force to restrict their legal right to protest, according to a statement released by the ministry.

At the same time, Bayramov also mentioned, according to his representation, “incidents of Armenia abusing the Lachin corridor” and claimed that Azerbaijan guarantees the road’s safety. He asserted that neither the government nor the protesters impede traffic.

Bayramov informed Guterres that vehicles of the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeeping forces pass through without obstruction.

He added that Azerbaijan proposed to install checkpoints along the Lachin road, and “the fact that the Armenian side rejected this indicates that Yerevan is not interested in the transparent operation of the Lachin corridor.”

The installation of checkpoints in the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia to Artsakh, remains unacceptable for Yerevan. “Armenia's position has not changed,” stated the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanian earlier to Azatutyun.

Azerbaijani President Aliyev introduced the idea of installing checkpoints after the Munich negotiations. In response, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzyoyan stated that renegotiating the arrangements for the Lachin corridor is unacceptable for Armenia. The corridor has been closed for three months now.