The Hague, 22 March 2023 – The Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) has taken note of the answers by Dutch Foreign Minister Wobke Hoekstra to the written questions of 13 parliamentary factions about the ICJ ruling of 22 February 2022 on blockade of Lachin Corridor (Armenia v. Azerbaijan). Minister Hoekstra agrees with the MP’s, that there is non-compliance by Azerbaijan with the Judgement of the ICJ on the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. According to the Court ruling, Azerbaijan must take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions, which it keeps blockaded for more than 100 days.
In his letter to the Parliament, the Minister underlines that the International Court rulings are legally binding. Therefore, the Netherlands publicly called on the Azerbaijani authorities to comply with the ruling.
According to the Minister, the Netherlands has repeatedly raised its concerns about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, at several occasions including in bilateral talks with the Azerbaijani authorities, iso as in the recent meeting between the Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and Azerbaijani President Aliyev.
The Minister Hoekstra has conveyed these concerns in several conversations with the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister. The Netherlands has also expressed these concerns in various multilateral forums, such as the EU Foreign Affairs Council and the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. The Netherlands, together with the other EU member states, has also conveyed this position by means of EU statements to, for example, the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Stability in Europe (OSCE).
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The Minister also states that the restrictive interpretation of the Court ruling by Azerbaijan is not shared by the Dutch Government. The Minister Hoekstra underlined that the Court ruling must be complied with in their entirety, which means that Azerbaijan must ensure the free movement of people, vehicles and cargo through the Lachin Corridor in both directions.
Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON)
