Baku responded to accusations of UN special rapporteurs on "blockade" of Karabakh

Baku/08.08.23/Turan: A number of special rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council expressed concern about "the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, which caused a humanitarian crisis in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in August. This is stated in their statement.

The blockade of the Lachin corridor becomes a humanitarian emergency, which has led to an acute shortage of basic food and medicines, the stocks of which are rapidly depleted, and hospitals can hardly provide medical assistance because ambulances do not have enough fuel, the statement said.

The experts called on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately restore the free and safe movement of people, vehicles and cargo in both directions through the Lachin corridor in line with the ceasefire agreement of November 2020.

The experts also called on the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in the region to ensure the protection of the corridor in keeping with terms of the ceasefire agreement.

"We call on the government of Azerbaijan to fulfill its international obligations to respect and protect human rights, including the right to food, health, education and life. We also emphasize the importance of cooperation and dialogue between all parties to find a path to peace," the statement said.

In turn, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry rejected the claims of the UN Human Rights Council experts regarding the "Lachin Road".

"It is regrettable that some special rapporteurs and an independent expert of the UN Human Rights Council have stated that the Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan and that a "tense humanitarian situation has arisen in Karabakh," the statement says.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry recalled that, contrary to its obligations, Armenia did not withdraw its armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan and, what's even worse, supplied them with arms and ammunition through the Lachin road.

In order to control its borders and prevent illegal actions of Armenia, Azerbaijan has established a border checkpoint "Lachin" on its sovereign territories.

On July 6, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations unanimously rejected the appeal regarding the liquidation of this checkpoint, once again proved the groundlessness of the claims of the Armenian side.

In spite of the fact that Azerbaijan provided the passage of residents of Armenia, the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and the Russian peacekeeping contingent through the border crossing, the Armenian side spread false claims about the "tense humanitarian situation" in the region in order to continue its illegal activities on the territory of Azerbaijan.

Despite various provocations, the Azerbaijani side creates a passage for Armenians through the border checkpoint through the mediation of the ICRC.

When it comes to meeting the needs of Armenians in Karabakh, Azerbaijan has put forward a number of proposals, including the use of the Aghdam-Khankyandi road and other alternative roads, which was supported by the European Union and the ICRC. However, the Armenian side opposed it, blocking the entrance to Karabakh from Aghdam. This showed that the statements of the Armenian side about the "humanitarian catastrophe" are political blackmail and manipulation. -16D-