Strongly Urges Azerbaijan to Lift Artsakh Blockade
Russia on Saturday said that Yerevan’s recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan “radically changed the fundamental conditions” of the November 9, 2020 agreement. Moscow also strongly called on Azerbaijan to take urgent measure to immediately unblock the Lachin Corridor.
The statement by Russia’s foreign ministry was issued minutes before Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan met in Brussels in talks hosted by the European Council President Charles Michel. Russia warned that the resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict should not be “transferred” to third parties.
“The humanitarian crisis is deepening. The population has an acute shortage of food, medicine, basic necessities, is practically deprived of electricity and gas. This can bring the most dramatic consequences for the Armenians of Karabakh, the ordinary residents of the region. We strongly call on the leadership of Azerbaijan to take urgent measures to immediately unblock the Lachin Corridor, to resume the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles, and cargo in both directions, as well as to restore energy supply,” the statement said.
The foreign ministry also noted that Armenia’s decision to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan in October and May during talks mediated by the European Union has compounded the problems in the region.
“We respect the sovereign decision of the leadership of Armenia, but it radically changed the fundamental conditions under which the declaration of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan was signed on November 9, 2020, as well as the status of the Russian peacekeeping force deployed in the region,” the Russian foreign ministry statement said.
“We believe that under these conditions, the responsibility for the fate of the Armenian population of Karabakh should not be transferred to third parties. It is necessary to immediately start the preparation of the peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan, based on the previously reached agreements,” the statement added.
The Russian side emphasized that reliable and clear guarantees of the rights and security of the Armenians of Karabakh should be an integral part of this agreement, as well as the strict implementation of the entire set of tripartite agreements between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the unblocking of transport communications and the start of the process of delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
Moscow added that taking the aforementioned into consideration, “Russian side confirms its determination to actively contribute to the efforts of the international community aimed at restoring normal life in Nagorno-Karabakh. Russia is ready to organize a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers in Moscow in the near future to discuss ways to implement agreements at the highest level, including the issue of agreeing on a peace treaty with the prospect of organizing a Russian-Azerbaijani-Armenian summit for the signing of that document.”
