The European Union asked Azerbaijan to stop the blockade of Nagorno Karabakh

by time news

2023-09-10 01:53:00

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh is controlled by Armenian separatists.
The head of diplomacy of the European Union (EU), Josep Borrell, asked Azerbaijan this Saturday to reopen the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia with Nagorno Karabakh, a region disputed between these two former Soviet republics.

“I have spoken by phone with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bayramov Jeyhun and I have reiterated my concern about the difficult humanitarian situation of the Armenians of Karabakh,” explained Borrell through the social network X.

“The Lachin corridor must be reopened now. Other roads, such as Aghdam, can be opened as part of the solution, but they are not an alternative,” he added. In addition, he criticized the “alleged presidential elections” in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, reported the Europa Press news agency.

Since 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh has been controlled by Armenian separatists who established an independent “republic” there that does not have international recognition.

“The EU believes that it is important for Karabakh Armenians to consolidate a ‘de facto’ leadership that can and is willing to commit to negotiations to achieve results with Baku,” the Azerbaijani capital, he added.

The request to reopen the Lachín corridor was also part of President Alberto Fernández’s speeches at the G20 summit of heads of state held in New Delhi.

On August 17, the UN asked Azerbaijan to “immediately” open the corridor and urged both countries not to politicize humanitarian aid.
“At a time when war is being fought in Eastern Europe and violent conflicts of less public attention but just as painful are multiplying, such as Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, which causes a humanitarian crisis that once again punishes to the Armenian people in part of its territory, Argentina reaffirms its unavoidable commitment to multilateralism as the supreme method of international understanding,” said Fernández at the end of his speech at the second plenary session of the G20.

And he continued: “Count on Argentina to move towards a future where the chance of birth is not an indelible mark of inequality. Count on Argentina to build a more just, cooperative, peaceful and fraternal world. There is nothing ahead that matters more.”

These two Caucasian countries have been immersed in a dispute for decades over the enclave, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and fought two wars for control of this territory, one in the 90s and another in 2020.

Since 1991, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh has been controlled by Armenian separatists who established an independent “republic” there that does not have international recognition, and is supported militarily by neighboring Armenia.

These two Caucasian countries have been immersed in a dispute for decades over the enclave, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and fought two wars for control of this territory, one in the 90s and another in 2020.

The second ended with a peace agreement signed trilaterally between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, which has maintained a military presence as a peace force since then.

On August 17, the United Nations (UN) asked Azerbaijan to “immediately” open the corridor and urged both countries not to politicize humanitarian aid.

However, the talks were hampered, among other reasons, because Armenia accused Azerbaijan for months of impeding traffic through the Lachin corridor, a short route through the mountains that connects Armenia with the settlements with the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh, unleashing a difficult humanitarian situation in the region.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated that the population of Nagorno Karabakh no longer receives 400 tons of essential consumer goods daily. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan maintains that Armenia is reinforcing its troops along the border for military action.

For this reason, the United Nations (UN) asked Azerbaijan on August 17 to open the corridor “immediately” and urged both countries not to politicize humanitarian aid.
The EU believes that it is important for Karabakh Armenians to consolidate a leadership

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