“Azerbaijan’s installation of a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor raises the question of how free movement will be ensured. It will surely worsen the situation in that area and will not help to build trust and reduce tension,” declared Marija Pejčinović Burić, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe at the plenary session of the PACE spring session on April 24, referring to the fact that Azerbaijan has set up a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor.
PACE decided to organize an urgent debate not on the issue of Lachin. Still, on the topic of Moldova, so during the question-and-answer session with the CE Secretary General, PACE delegate Frank Schwabe reminded the CE Secretary that the Assembly decided not to organize an urgent debate on the Lachin Corridor issue but on Moldova because, during the June session, there will be a report on the Lachin Corridor issue. Then he asked: I want your opinion on this issue: how can we prevent a regional humanitarian crisis?
Marija Pejčinović Burić, recalling her previous statements, said: “I clearly expressed my opinion in December when the Lachin corridor was first blocked. I can confirm it again. I call for the restoration of free movement through the Lachin Corridor. We also have the Court order for this claim. So, the Lachin Corridor should be opened because it has already caused a humanitarian crisis. And when it is completely closed, it is beyond imagination what kind of situation the people living in that area live in.”
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The General Secretary of the Council of Europe appealed to Azerbaijan and Armenia. She stated: “The two sides have been meeting recently, negotiating at the highest level. Both countries are committed to working for peace in the region. I want to remind both sides of their promise to work for peace.”
Burich emphasized the issue of access to Lachin Corridor and announced: “To understand what is happening there, our structures should have the opportunity to visit there; for example, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, Dunja Mijatović should visit there. Until now, CE structures have not had the opportunity to visit that area. I hope that this situation will change. Access to that area is the only way to impact this issue and assess the situation.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
