Armenia demanded Wednesday, July 12 that international humanitarian organizations have access to the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, whose Azerbaijan has closed the only road linking it to Armenian territory, arousing the concern of its inhabitants. “Residents are dying because they don’t have access to health services,” Metakse Iakobyan, a 51-year-old resident of Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert, told Agence France-Presse. years. Lucine Gasparyan, 37, said that “shop shelves are empty”: “We can only buy bread and I can’t imagine what our living conditions will be like in the future. »
According to local health authorities, more than 180 people, including two “seriously ill” children, need to be urgently transferred to Armenia for treatment. Nagorno-Karabakh human rights defender Gegham Stepanyan described a situation that is “worsening day by day”, and spoke of a risk of “famine”. He called for a “very strong” response from the international community.
Referring to acts of “smuggling” of the Armenian branch of the Red Cross, Baku announced on Tuesday the “provisional suspension” of the passage via the Lachin corridor. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that the move is intended to make the situation “unlivable” for residents of the region. Since December 2022, Armenia has accused its neighbor of hindering the supply of this secessionist region populated by Armenians and of creating a humanitarian crisis there.
two wars
“It is regrettable that during these months the international community and international humanitarian organizations have not been able to gain access to Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Foreign Ministry added in its statement, saying that It is “crucial to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe” in this region.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has dismissed Azerbaijan’s smuggling charges and assured that no unauthorized goods were found inside its vehicles in the Lachin corridor. The European Union said on Wednesday it “strongly supports the crucial role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the region” and reiterates “its call on Azerbaijan to ensure the free movement of people and goods.” via the Lachin Corridor”.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh for several decades and have fought two wars for its control, the last of which, in 2020, saw the defeat of Armenian forces.
