Commercial supplies into Nagorno-Karabakh have been blocked by Azerbaijan since December 2022 through its illegal blockade. Furthermore, since July 15 Azerbaijan has been blocking humanitarian supplies, including baby food and medication, including through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Speaking at the Cabinet meeting, PM Pashinyan said that the Armenian government on July 26 decided to send humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh, and the 19 trucks carrying food and medicine remain stranded in the village of Kornidzor near the entrance to the Lachin Corridor.

“I’d like to remind you that these 19 trucks carry 100 tons of flour, 80 tons of pasta, 60 tons of sugar, 40 tons of vegetable oil, 40 tons of powdered milk, 20 tons of salt, 12 tons of baby food and 9 tons of medicine. A total of 361 tons of humanitarian aid.  The content of the cargo has been verified by foreign diplomats accredited in Armenia and can be verified again at any moment by inspecting the trucks which have been in Kornidzor for already 16 days. Then, two other trucks joined the humanitarian convoy, carrying 9 tons of confectionaries sent by a candy company and 1 truck carrying 25 tons of pasta sent on behalf of the Mayor of Paris and the heads of the French regions of Île-de-France, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Hauts-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Pays de la Loire,” Pashinyan said.

The blocking of the humanitarian convoy further corroborates fears that Azerbaijan wants to commit genocide against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, he said.

“And indeed, stronger opinions are voiced by international expert circles that Azerbaijan’s policy on causing a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor can be viewed from the perspective of the 9 December 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. I think that the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor has reached a level where greater efforts are required in the direction of giving an international legal assessment to the situation, especially when Azerbaijan is still not implementing the February 22 and July 6 binding rulings by the International Court of Justice on ensuring unimpeded movement of persons, goods and vehicles along the Lachin Corridor,” Pashinyan said.

PM Pashinyan highlighted the fact that the highest instances have recently recorded that Azerbaijan’s comments on the ICJ rulings have nothing to do with reality and that Azerbaijan must ensure unimpeded functioning of the Lachin Corridor.

“In these conditions I must note that the best solution in this situation would be the lifting of the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the start of the Stepanakert-Baku dialogue within the framework of an international mechanism. For its part, the Republic of Armenia continues to reiterate its commitment to the peace agenda and calls on official Baku to refrain from steps nullifying the historic chance for establishing peace,”  Pashinyan said.