Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan on Tuesday called on the international community to take additional efforts to lift the ongoing blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2023) Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan on Tuesday called on the international community to take additional efforts to lift the ongoing blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Since establishment of illegal checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor, Azerbaijan repeatedly, against ICJ (the International Court of Justice) decisions, forbids even movement of ICRC (the International Committee of the Red Cross), including medical evacuation. More international efforts and actions needed to lift 7-month blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh to prevent ethnic cleansing," Badalyan wrote on Twitter.
On Tuesday, Azerbaijan's State Border Service said that the traffic through the Lachin checkpoint has been suspended due to an investigation into alleged smuggling by the ICRC.
The ICRC denied Baku's claims, saying that no unauthorized material had been found in any vehicle belonging to the organization.
"We regret that without our knowledge four hired drivers tried to transport some commercial goods in their own vehicles which were temporarily displaying the ICRC emblem. These individuals were not ICRC staff members and their service contracts were immediately terminated by the ICRC," the statement read.
On April 23, Azerbaijan's State Border Service said it had established a border checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin corridor, the only land route linking Armenia and the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Baku cited Armenia's alleged illegal use of the road and security concerns, noting that the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the Russian-Turkish monitoring center had been informed about this. Yerevan protested Baku's move, stressing that it violated the 2020 trilateral declaration.
