Discussions over situation on Lachin road at UN Security Council meeting ended in nothing

Baku/17.08.23/Turan: Lachin road should be opened for humanitarian aid, along with the road from Aghdam to Khankandi, and Armenia and Azerbaijan should normalise relations.

These were the main theses of the speeches of representatives of more than ten countries and a number of international organisations at the yesterday sessions of the UN Security Council in New York. No statements or resolutions by result of discussions, were adopted.

Most of the speakers called not to politicise the issues of humanitarian aid, to delimit and demarcate the state border, to demine the territories, which would reduce tension and contribute to the normalisation of relations.

The representative of Russia pointed to his government's compromise proposal to reduce tensions, involving the parallel opening of corridors through Aghdam and Lachin.

The representative of Turkey said that Azerbaijan has long said that the Lachin corridor has been used to ship arms and mines into Karabakh. Azerbaijan has taken security measures on its territory and is respecting humanitarian issues by allowing medical evacuations along the Lachin road.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan called on the Russian peacekeepers and the Security Council to take steps to immediately open the Lachin road to traffic and people.

In turn, Azerbaijan's representative to the UN Yashar Aliyev rejected these claims and accused Armenia of attempts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of his country.

He recalled the decision of the International Court of Justice, which rejected Armenia's request to recognise the Lachin border checkpoint as illegal. He also recalled that it was Armenia that had thwarted the recent agreement to simultaneously open traffic to Karabakh via Lachin and Aghdam.

The most pro-Armenian and one-sided assessments and statements were made in the speeches of Nathalie Brodurst of France and Silvio Gonzato of the European Union.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has not yet made an assessment of the UN Security Council meeting.

Full text of all speeches of the UNSC meeting on this link. -02D-