Two UN special rapporteurs and an independent UN expert called on Azerbaijan on Monday to immediately lift the blockade of Lachin Corridor, the only land route linking Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, saying it has caused a "humanitarian emergency" in the enclaved region
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2023) Two UN special rapporteurs and an independent UN expert called on Azerbaijan on Monday to immediately lift the blockade of Lachin Corridor, the only land route linking Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, saying it has caused a "humanitarian emergency" in the enclaved region.
"The blockade of the Lachin Corridor is a humanitarian emergency that has created severe shortages of essential food staples including sunflower oil, fish, chicken, dairy products, cereal, sugar and baby formula," the experts said in a statement published by the Office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, adding "We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to uphold its international obligations to respect and protect human rights, including the right to food, health, education and life."
They also called on Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region to ensure safe passage through the corridor as mandated by a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia from November 2020.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought wars over Armenian-populated and Azerbaijani-located Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s and 2020, with numerous smaller clashes in between. The 1.5-month war in 2020 ended with the Russian-mediated ceasefire and deployment of Russian peacekeepers to the region. Lachin Corridor runs next to a Russian peacekeeping post.
The lifeline through which food, medical essentials and humanitarian aid get to Nagorno-Karabakh through Armenia was blocked in 2022 by people described by Azerbaijan as climate activists protesting alleged Armenian mining in the region. On July 11, Azerbaijan's State Border Service suspended the Lachin checkpoint, citing an investigation into alleged smuggling of goods disguised as humanitarian aid.
