U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee staffers witness Azeri blockade of Lachin Corridor during Armenia trip
U.S. Senator Robert Menendez, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has sent a delegation of two committee staffers to Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports.
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations representatives Sarah Arkin and Damian Murphy conducted the visit at the instruction of Senator Menendez.
On August 7, Arkin and Murphy met with Syunik Governor Robert Ghukasyan and Goris Mayor Arush Arushanyan and became acquainted with the situation on the borders of Syunik Province, Azerbaijan’s encroachments against the sovereign territory of Armenia, the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and the resulting humanitarian disaster, the Syunik Governor’s Office said in a statement.
The delegation also visited the village of Kornidzor and witnessed the closed Lachin Corridor and absence of traffic.
The U.S. Senate representatives also inspected the Armenian humanitarian convoy which is unable to enter the Lachin Corridor and deliver emergency aid to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.
On July 26, Armenia sent a humanitarian convoy carrying emergency food and medication for Nagorno-Karabakh, but Azerbaijan blocked the trucks at the entrance of Lachin Corridor.
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