EU Parliament Adopts Resolution, Condemning Blockade of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Parliament on Thursday adopted a resolution, condemning the blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, and urging Azerbaijan to immediately reopen it to improve the humanitarian situation.

Earlier this month, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan expressed concern that Azerbaijan's blockage of the corridor had caused a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the region. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada, in turn, said on Wednesday that the corridor was open for traffic.

"Parliament deplores the severe humanitarian crisis caused by the current blockade of the Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh by self-proclaimed environmentalists from Azerbaijan... MEPs [members of the European Parliament] urge Azerbaijan to re-open it immediately, in order to enable freedom of movement and ensure access to essential goods and services for the most vulnerable," the resolution read.

The document also calls for "comprehensive peace agreement" between Armenia and Azerbaijan which will ensure the protection of rights of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The parliament also urged the Azerbaijani authorities to grant access to the area for international organization so as to provide humanitarian support for the region.

Since December 12, the only road which connects Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh but runs through the Lachin district of Azerbaijan has been blocked by a group of people from Azerbaijan described by Baku as environmental activists protesting alleged Armenian illegal mining in the area. Yerevan called the move a provocation by Baku meant to cause a humanitarian collapse in the region.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh flared up in September 2020, and the region saw the most serious escalation of the protracted standoff in years. The hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered trilateral truce, in which Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to a ceasefire and exchange of prisoners and bodies of the dead. In addition, the Kalbajar, Lachin, and part of the Agdam District were handed over to Azerbaijan. Russian peacekeepers have been deployed to the region to ensure the implementation of the truce.