‘Apart from Russia, no one should exercise control in the Lachin corridor’ – Pashinyan

If until now the Lachin corridor was closed under the pretext of a fake environmental protest, it has now been officially closed by Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made this statement before the start of a government meeting.

According to him, Azerbaijan is continuously escalating the situation in the region by illegally establishing a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor. ‘This is a provocative step aimed not only at increasing tensions in the region but also at deepening the humanitarian crisis established in Nagorno-Karabakh. The international community has clearly assessed the installation of the checkpoint this time, but it is important to note the real and profound purpose of this and several preceding actions. This purpose is the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh and the implementation of genocide, and this should be the focus of the international community,’ Pashinyan stated.

He further raised the question of how obliged Azerbaijan feels to fulfill its internationally assumed obligations as tensions escalate due to the installation of the checkpoint in the Lachin corridor. Pashinyan recalled that Azerbaijan's actions violate the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, and that Azerbaijan has violated all points of that statement.

The head of the Armenian government outlined the Armenian government's vision for the overall resolution of the situation created in the Lachin corridor. ‘The Russian peacekeeping forces must maintain control over the Lachin corridor and thereby ensure the normal functioning of the corridor. In other words, apart from Russia, no one should exercise control in the Lachin corridor. Azerbaijan must also not obstruct free movement through the corridor. This is precisely what is stipulated in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020,’ Pashinyan announced. Moreover, according to him, the rights and security of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh should become the subject of negotiations between Stepanakert and Baku within an international format.