RA NA President Alen Simonyan Sends Official Letter to His International Colleagues on Lachin Corridor Crisis
The RA NA President Alen Simonyan officially applied to the heads of the international parliamentary authoritative organizations, international colleagues and the heads of the parliaments of different countries, drawing their attention to the grave situation caused because of the Lachin Corridor crisis for 8 months.
In the official document details are presented about the 120,000 Armenian population, who face the real threat of extermination because of blockade in Nagorno Karabakh. In the letter it is stressed that t he blockade is also accompanied by deliberate disruption of natural gas and electricity supply to Nagorno Karabakh, and from June 15 Azerbaijan has even fully banned the humanitarian access of the International Committee of the Red Cross to Nagorno-Karabakh , the supply of any essential goods to Nagorno-Karabakh has been completely halted. Touching upon the essential goods, it was noted that the stock of grain is running out quickly , and due to the lack of fuel, it is not possible to bake bread at least in production volumes and deliver it to stores
The RA NA President drew their attention to the fact that on July 26, the Government of Armenia sent 360 tons of humanitarian cargo to Nagorno-Karabakh, but the Azerbaijani authorities do not allow the convoy of 19 trucks to pass through the Lachin Corridor to Stepanakert.
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In the letter the ignoring of the decision of the International Court of Justice by Azerbaijan, which established legal obligation regarding the Lachin Corridor to immediately suspend the operation of its checkpoint, because it undeniably hinders the rights of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, defined by the 1965 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination is described . “The humanitarian catastrophe created by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh shows that without a viable international mechanism, not a single Armenian will survive in Nagorno-Karabakh. We greatly value the targeted and objective assessments made by our partner parliaments and international organizations and their efforts dedicated to the peace agenda and stability of our region, ” the letter says.
The RA NA President mentions sequence of steps, as a result of which it will be possible to change the situation “ The desired goals can be achieved through the following steps, for which we also expect your active support:
* Implementation of international mechanisms. International organizations should act swiftly within their mandated activities and existing instruments designed exactly for addressing such situations. Humanitarian international organizations, particularly the United Nations agencies, should carry out monitoring missions to the Corridor and the region, even despite the obstacles.
* It is extremely important to state that, according to our position, the issue of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh should be addressed as a result of the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue, negotiations, and discussions. But, taking into account the incommensurability of the forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, we believe that this dialogue should take place within the framework of international mechanisms, where the international community will be present. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan perceives and interprets Armenia ’ s interest in the process as an encroachment or ambition towards Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
* If Baku does not comply with the legally binding decision of the International Court of Justice within a reasonable time, we expect that the Parliament headed by you will appeal to the (G overnment of the country) European Commission with an urge to apply appropriate sanctions against Azerbaijan. These are not easy solutions, they require difficult decisions and determination, but they are viable to stop the ongoing ethnic cleansing of the 120.000 peaceful population.
* These days, we consider it extremely necessary to open the Lachin Corridor so that the convoy with humanitarian aid can reach Nagorno-Karabakh. In this regard, we rely on your concrete steps ,” the RA NA President Alen Simonyan concluded.
