Thousands of people demonstrated Friday in Stepanakert, the largest city of Nagorno-Karabakh, calling for the opening of the Lachin corridor, the only artery linking Armenia and this separatist region, which Azerbaijan closed this week, according to an AFP correspondent.
About six thousand demonstrators gathered on Friday morning in the main square of this city. The closure of the Lachin corridor poses the risk of a major humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to Armenia.
On Thursday, an official in Nagorno-Karabakh urged Russia, which has been deploying a peacekeeping unit in the region since 2020, to reopen the corridor.
“I call on the Russian Federation (…) to ensure the free movement of people and goods through the corridor,” State Minister Gurgen Nersesyan said on social media, stressing that “the situation is appalling, and it will have dire consequences in the next few days.”
On Tuesday, Azerbaijan announced the closure of the Lachin corridor, accusing Armenian Red Cross drivers of smuggling, which was denied by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced Thursday that he will participate Saturday in negotiations with Azerbaijan under the auspices of the European Union, denouncing the illegal “siege” of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia has been warning the international community of a possible serious humanitarian crisis in this breakaway region since December, due to food and medicine shortages caused by traffic restrictions in the Lachin corridor.
Azerbaijan announced the placement of a barrier at the entrance to the Lachin corridor in April for security reasons, at a time when clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are still taking place.
The two former Soviet republics have been fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh since the late 1980s, which led to two wars, the second of which in 2020 witnessed the defeat of Armenian forces and Azerbaijan’s gains on the ground.
Part of the sector, which has an Armenian majority but is located on the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, is still under the control of Armenian separatists, but is currently surrounded by territory controlled by Baku.
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2023-07-14 13:34:43
