Lachin Corridor Has No Alternative: Armenian Foreign Ministry

The Lachin corridor has been agreed upon as the connecting link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and has no alternative, the Armenian Foreign Ministry stated in response to a question from Azatutyun. The media outlet particularly inquired whether Azerbaijan has made the opening of the Agdam road a precondition for reopening the Lachin corridor.

The Armenian foreign policy agency emphasized that the Lachin corridor must be reopened, and regarding other potential means of communication, this should be resolved within the framework of international mechanisms for dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert.

For the past seven days, Baku has been attempting to deliver 40 tons of flour as humanitarian assistance to Stepanakert via Agdam, with negotiations ongoing on this issue. Residents of Artsakh are also stationed along the Askeran road, insisting that they will continue to keep the road closed until the Azerbaijanis leave with their flour.

The official Stepanakert has declared that if Azerbaijan is genuinely interested in alleviating the humanitarian crisis of the Artsakh people, it must not prohibit the restoration of supplies through the Lachin corridor, as stipulated in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020.

In response to another question about whether any member state in the UN Security Council is prepared to present a draft resolution on the Lachin issue, considering Stepanakert's negative attitude towards receiving assistance via Agdam, the foreign ministry referenced the urgent meeting of the UN Security Council held on August 16. It stated that during that meeting, a clear position was expressed by the overwhelming majority of UN Security Council member countries regarding the need to restore the functioning of the Lachin corridor, implement the decisions of the International Court of Justice, and uphold the points of the November 9 statement. Some countries have also clearly emphasized that the Agdam road cannot be an alternative to the Lachin corridor.

The response also highlighted, "Armenia's position on this issue has not changed, and we continue to work with our international partners towards ensuring the implementation of the relevant decisions of the International Court of Justice by Azerbaijan and the lifting of the illegal blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, including through the appropriate mechanisms of the UN and the UN Security Council."

Recently, a document attributed to the Russian Foreign Minister regarding the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan has surfaced online. The media outlet also asked for clarification on whether this is an official document, if it has been conveyed to Yerevan and Baku, and what Yerevan's position is on it. This could become a topic of negotiation, whether official Yerevan continues to maintain the same stance that it is a negotiable issue for Stepanakert.

The foreign policy agency has stated that it does not comment on information sourced from unofficial channels.