Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in his speech clearly emphasized the expectations of the Armenian side from the UN Security Council that gathered for an urgent meeting in New York at Yerevan’s request.
“We expect this Council to condemn the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, to call for the immediate restoration of freedom and security of movement of persons, vehicles and cargo, in line with the previously reached agreements, through the Lachin corridor; to dispatch an independent inter-agency needs assessment mission in Nagorno-Karabakh and provide humanitarian assistance to the affected population,” Mirzoyan said, in particular.
The overwhelming majority of representatives of the Security Council’s 15 member states agreed that humanitarian issues cannot be used as a truncheon to suppress the rights of 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Most of the diplomats clearly emphasized that the Lachine Corridor must be opened, while others considered it possible to open other routes as well.
“We urge the government of Azerbaijan to restore free movement through the corridor – so commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles can reach the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. We also note the possibility of compromise on additional routes for humanitarian supplies,” said U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who presided over the meeting.
The representative of Russia insisted that Moscow presented such a proposal to the parties several weeks ago: “On July 25, at the meeting with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the Russian side proposed realistic, compromise-based solutions to ease the tension. We are talking about simultaneously opening the Agdam and Lachin corridors for the transportation of civilians and non-military goods.”
The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is harming the peace process, the European Union ambassador said, stating that the EU border monitoring mission in Armenia has recorded a number of ceasefire violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in recent months.
Meanwhile, Baku’s official representative categorically denied the accusations. “Allegations about famine and genocide are false and fictitious,” Yashar Aliyev said.
“Azerbaijan pursues a policy of reintegrating the ethnic Armenians of the Karabakh region, considering them as equal citizens, and guarantees for them all the rights and freedoms provided by the Constitution of Azerbaijan. We are determined to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Azerbaijani diplomat said.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that after hearing the arguments of the parties, as well as the positions of the members of the Security Council the text of the resolution or statement may be put into circulation in the next 24 hours.