“I demand the Azerbaijan authorities stop the Lachin Corridor’s blockade and fulfill their obligations, according to the statement of November 9, 2020. More than a month has passed, and this blockade by Azerbaijan has led to an acute humanitarian crisis, including the death of one person.”
Marina Kaljurand, one of the authors of the resolution on this topic, announced during the urgent debate-discussion entitled “Humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh” called during the plenary session of the European Parliament. The resolution states that Azerbaijan has blocked the only road connecting Armenia to Artsakh, disrupting access to goods and services, including food, fuel, and medicine, leaving 120,000 Armenians under siege. The blockade has led to a severe humanitarian crisis that has significantly affected the most vulnerable populations. The resolution stipulates explicitly: “Transportation of seriously ill patients is almost impossible, due to which one death has already been registered. Hundreds of families are separated.
By keeping the Lachin corridor closed, Azerbaijan violates the international obligations undertaken under the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020, according to which Azerbaijan must guarantee the safe transportation of people, vehicles, and cargo along the corridor. Obstacles to using the Lachin Corridor pushed back the process of establishing peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and undermined the mechanisms of international trust. That blockade causes tragic humanitarian consequences.”
The following demands are also presented to Azerbaijan in the resolution: “We call on Azerbaijan to refrain from disrupting transport and energy activities between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, we strongly condemn Azerbaijan’s use of human rights defenders and CSOs as scapegoats, and we call on the representations of the EU and member states to support their work.” With the resolution, the European Parliament also condemns the inactivity of the Russian “peacekeepers.”
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Considers that it is necessary to start urgent negotiations on the issue of replacing them with OSCE international peacekeepers. Also, the parliament calls on international organizations to enter Nagorno-Karabakh unhindered to assess the situation and provide the necessary humanitarian aid. With the resolution, the European Parliament considers it necessary to send a UN and OSCE fact-finding mission to the Lachine Corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground. The resolution also stipulates: “The European Parliament calls on the EU to be actively involved and ensure that the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh are no longer hostage to Baku’s “activism,” the destructive role of Russia and the inaction of the Minsk Group.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
