Protest Participants Give Government Until 18:00 to Open Lachin Corridor

Participants of the protest at Republic Square in support of Artsakh have given the government until 18:00 to open the Lachin corridor and allow humanitarian aid to reach Artsakh. This was stated by Colonel Sargis Poghosyan, the commander of the 'Crusaders' detachment and president of the 'Crusaders' patriotic NGO, during a conversation with journalists.

It is worth noting that for over an hour, members of the 'Crusaders' detachment and their supporters have been gathered in front of the government building. They are demanding that measures be taken to open the Lachin corridor and prevent a humanitarian disaster in Artsakh, threatening to arm themselves to forcefully open the corridor, even at the cost of their own lives.

'If the road to Artsakh is not opened by 6 PM and food does not reach Artsakh, then we will open that road ourselves. I have stated this condition and have come out. We spoke with a person who couldn’t help us in any way; he only needed to convey what we said. My message was directed at Nikol Pashinyan (the Prime Minister of Armenia),' Poghosyan said.

According to him, if it is possible to deliver food-laden shipments to Artsakh today, they will proceed to the next steps, as the war is not over yet. Poghosyan emphasized that Artsakh can only be defended through warfare.

It is recalled that on December 12, 2022, a group of Azerbaijanis in civilian clothing closed the Stepanakert-Goris highway connecting Artsakh to Armenia under the pretext of environmental reasons, and withdrew on April 28 after Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint on the Lachin road, taking full control of it. Artsakh has also been deprived of gas and electricity supplied from Armenia.

On July 26, 19 trucks loaded with around 400 tons of essential goods left Yerevan for Artsakh, which has been under blockade for over 225 days. The trucks reached the Kornidzor community in Syunik and remain at the boundary of the Lachin corridor.