Russia expressed concern about the lack of progress on ending the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which entered its 19th day on Friday.
In a statement, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that the November 9, 2020 agreement calls for “the movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo in both directions.”
“The Russian side, in particular, the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping force, continues to take consistent steps towards the solution of this situation,” Zakharova said. “We emphasize that it is the Russian peacekeepers who make the key contribution to ensuring security in their deployment zone, which was recorded by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia at the summit held in Sochi on October 31, 2022.”
“We consider any public attack and provocation against our peacekeepers as unacceptable and deliberate actions that cause significant damage to the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement process,” Zakharova added.
Russia called on Baku and Yerevan to “strictly observe all provisions of the declaration of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020.”
“We note that the Lachin Corridor should be used only for the purposes specified in this document. We hope that the parties will come to an agreement on the exploitation of mines in the region,” added Zakharova.
The group of Azerbaijanis that have been blocking the Lachin Corridor since December 12 are claiming to be environmental activist concerned with what they call illegal operations at a nearby copper mine. Their actions are fully supported by the Azerbaijani government, which this week called for a halt in the mine’s operations pending an inspection by international monitors. The Artsakh authorities announced that the mine temporarily would stop operating and has appealed to United Nations bodies to carry out a full inspection.
Zakharova said that Russia wants all agreements signed by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to be implemented. These agreements, she said, are “aimed at unblocking transport and economic ties in the region, the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the preparation of a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan.”
