Since June 15, Absolutely No Humanitarian Cargo Has Entered Artsakh, No Food Has Entered: Artsakh State Minister
Azerbaijan has begun a process to exhaust and wear down the people of Artsakh through a blockade, and since June 15, absolutely no humanitarian cargo has entered Artsakh; no food has entered at all. This was stated by the State Minister of Artsakh, Gurgen Nersisyan, in an interview with Public Television.
“As we know, Artsakh is not self-sufficient in terms of food, and there are numerous products that were brought from Armenia. However, since June 15, Artsakh has been sustaining its existence solely on its internal resources. Today, the people of Artsakh depend on the agricultural products created by our farmers and the reserve funds we have. It is clear that our supplies are not infinite. There is an incredible self-organization among the people of Artsakh,” he said.
When asked about reports that greenhouse agriculture has increased by 50 percent and that livestock farming has also grown, the minister responded, “Yes, in some time, we will be able to meet about 70 percent of our internal demand through our greenhouses, which is an unprecedented figure for Artsakh. We have never had such a level of self-sufficiency before.”
Addressing the issue of whether Russian peacekeepers are importing food by helicopter for themselves and if they are helping Artsakh in this regard, Gurgen Nersisyan noted, “The Azerbaijani side has not provided conditions for the Russian peacekeepers to organize humanitarian assistance, as was the case before June 15. The Russian peacekeepers are organizing helicopter flights; I do not know what they are transporting for the peacekeeping contingent. We assume that they are also transporting food, but there is no humanitarian cargo transfer for the people of Artsakh through the Russian peacekeepers.”