“The situation is unchanged. There is no gas supply, and the people are under siege. Still, they will stand until the end,” said Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh Davit Babayan, referring to Azerbaijan’s closing of the Berdzor corridor in a conversation with journalists in front of the UN office in Yerevan. Davit Babayan mentioned what the Artsakh government is doing to open the road. “There are complicated issues. It is necessary to survive first, to ensure vital requirements and safety. Also, work is going to open the road with various pipes. It is not correct to say concretely who we are talking to, but that we are working, that is for sure. Russian peacekeepers are also the most interested party in opening the road. I am against getting into unhealthy discussions about who is to blame, who is pro-Western, and who is pro-Russian; that’s enough; we are tired.”
As for who is responsible for the situation, Davit Babayan mentioned. “I wonder if I should be intimidated by your question or the situation. Who is it? Azerbaijan and Turkey, who else should be responsible? What kind of question are you asking? I don’t understand. Azerbaijan’s demand is clear: they want to strangle Artsakh. They start with Kashin/Kashen/ mine and want to close it; it is the main source of our budget, and that’s why they want to paralyze it. There are no environmentalists there. The situation is complicated because Azerbaijan is destructive. That mine is in our territory; let them keep the “license” of Azerbaijan. Tomorrow they might want to sell us too. It’s just an excuse.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
