The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, who visited Armenia’s border regions last month, called on Azerbaijan to authorize a fact-finding mission to Karabakh to gain first-hand knowledge of the situation there.
“We urge the Azerbaijani authorities to authorize an independent fact-finding visit and to allow independent journalists to operate freely in the whole area,” the PACE co-rapporteurs Kimmo Kiljunen of Finland and Boriana Åberg of Sweden said Wednesday, referring to the November 9, 2020 agreement.
The request was published in a declassified note posted on the PACE website, the co-rapporteurs discussed their trip to Armenia from February 17 to 19.
The purpose of their visit was to assess the situation on the border with Azerbaijan and at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor. During their stay, they visited the cities of Jermuk, Goris, and Vardenis, their surroundings, and to meet with local officials and Nagorno-Karabakh residents, blocked in Goris due to the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin Corridor.
Based on their observations, movement along the corridor is “severely obstructed,” making the transport of some essential supplies impossible. This situation could soon result in a humanitarian crisis.
After their return from Armenia, the co-rapporteurs issued a statement saying, “The situation in the Lachin corridor requires immediate action.”
