Armenian Foreign Ministry on the Abduction of Artsakh Citizens by Azerbaijan

Today, on August 28, residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovhsepian, and Levon Grigoryan, were abducted by Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies at an illegal checkpoint located in the Lachin corridor. Their transfer had been pre-arranged and was being carried out under the escort of Russian peacekeeping forces, who, according to the sixth clause of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, are to ensure an uninterrupted connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through the Lachin corridor. The individuals were being transferred to the Republic of Armenia to continue their education. This was reported by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"This action by Azerbaijan, which was preceded on July 29 by the abduction of 68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan, who was being transferred to the Republic of Armenia for emergency medical assistance by the International Committee of the Red Cross, is a gross violation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, and the legally binding decisions of the International Court of Justice, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the unequivocal and explicit calls from the international community, including members of the UN Security Council. Various pretexts for these incidents give rise to grave concerns that Azerbaijan is overtly planning to impose collective punishment on the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which, in the 1990s and in 2020, was compelled to resist large-scale aggressions unleashed by Azerbaijan and defend its right to live peacefully in its homeland.

Irrespective of age, gender, or health status, Azerbaijan's policies have led to the massive deprivation of all fundamental rights of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh, subjecting them to starvation, obstructing the supply of medicines, essential goods, gas, and electricity, targeting civilians with sniper fire, and abducting them. The blockade of the Lachin corridor reveals the true intentions of Azerbaijan's leadership to avoid any dialogue with Nagorno-Karabakh and instead continue its policy of ethnic cleansing. Rather than supporting efforts to establish peace and stability in the region, the Azerbaijani side has evidently devoted all its efforts to undermining such initiatives.

The prevention of these mass atrocities is an immediate obligation that lies with all actors influencing the situation, as well as with the civilized world as a whole," the statement read.