YEREVAN – The Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor has not been opened to humanitarian aid as of September 13, despite an agreement to open the route 12 hours after the entry of Russian aid to Artsakh through Aghdam.
More than two years after a trade made by the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments for the return of 15 Armenian prisoners of war in exchange for the maps of the mined areas of Akna (Aghdam), the use of the Aghdam road has become a topic of discussion following Azerbaijan’s complete blockade of the Berdzor Corridor to humanitarian aid in mid-June this year.
On September 9, Artsakh authorities announced that Russian aid would be delivered through the Aghdam road, and an agreement had been reached to restore movement for humanitarian aid through the Berdzor Corridor.
Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev met with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev in Baku and presented Moscow’s clear position, according to which no Azeri goods will enter the Armenian-inhabited part of Artsakh.
An agreement was reached stating that very limited products, not of Azerbaijani origin, will be sent through the Aghdam road. According to the agreement, after the Russian aid passes, the Aghdam road will be closed again, and no other vehicles will pass. According to another arrangement, the Berdzor Corridor will be opened 12 hours after the Russian aid passes through Aghdam, and the Armenian trucks will be able to go to Stepanakert.
Since July 26, an Armenian government convoy containing 360 tons of humanitarian aid has been blocked in Kornidzor by the Azerbaijani government. The convoy of nineteen trucks contains flour, pasta, sugar, vegetable oil, powder milk, salt, baby food and medicine.
According to the Artsakh Information Center, “On September 12, the humanitarian cargo entered the Artsakh Republic through the city of Askeran, with the permission of the authorities of the republic, through the Russian Red Cross and the vehicles of that organization. The aid contains vital Russian-made goods.”
Russian aid includes blankets, bed sheets for hospitals, soap, toothpaste, shampoo, baby cereal, vitamins, baby cream, diapers, wet wipes and 11.4 tons of food including flour, sugar, rice, green peas, lentils, corn, pasta, semolina and buckwheat.
The mayor of Askeran, Hayk Shamiryan, mentioned that concerned citizens of Artsakh that were gathered near the Tank Memorial initially protested the entry, but then came to an agreement, after which the Russian Red Cross truck, accompanied by the police, reached the Artsakh capital of Stepanakert.
While the Azerbaijani side had agreed to create conditions for the transportation of humanitarian aid through the Berdzor Corridor 12 hours after the entry of Russian aid through the Aghdam-Stepanakert road, there are no changes thus far.
A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh on June 16 affirms, “The complete closure of the Lachin Corridor, used in a limited mode and exclusively for humanitarian purposes because of the ongoing illegal blockade of Artsakh for more than six months, is another practical demonstration of Azerbaijan’s gross violation of its international obligations, disregard for the fundamental norms of international law, including the legally binding decision of the International Court of Justice. In fact, the illegally established checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor is being used by Azerbaijan purely as a tool to continue its policy of ethnic cleansing against the people of Artsakh.”
After a provocation near Khakari Bridge on June 15, Azerbaijan completely blocked all humanitarian passenger and cargo transportations via the Berdzor Corridor in both directions. As a result of Azerbaijan’s actions, the planned medical evacuation of patients from Artsakh to Armenia by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) did not take place, and the planned transportation of passengers in urgent humanitarian need through the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the Goris-Stepanakert route was canceled. The movement of trucks of Russian peacekeepers en route to Goris to deliver humanitarian goods to Artsakh was also stopped.
The first proposal of the use of the Aghdam road was made on July 14 by Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov while meeting with the head of the ICRC representative office in Azerbaijan Dragana Kozic. “As for meeting the needs of Armenian residents, the Azerbaijani side does not rule out the possibility of providing assistance on the Aghdam-Stepanakert road,” stated Bayramov.
According to political analyst Edgar Elbakyan, “It is not the first time that Azerbaijan first terrorizes the Artsakh Armenians, then allegedly extends a ‘helping hand’ as a ‘show of goodwill.’ This is called forced integration. By depriving the Artsakh Armenians of necessary resources, Azerbaijan shows that the faucet is in its hands – Azerbaijan opens and closes the faucet when it pleases, leaving the people of Artsakh to submit to the whims of Azerbaijan.”
Following talks of opening the Aghdam-Stepanakert road and a statement made by European Council President Charles Michel noting Azerbaijan’s willingness to provide humanitarian supplies via Aghdam, a group of Artsakh citizens blocked the road from Askeran to Aghdam by placing concrete barriers on July 18. Signs held by protesters read, “Aghdam is the road of death” and “Charles Michel, the Aghdam road is not a humanitarian corridor.”
In response to the Armenians of Artsakh blocking the road from Askeran to Aghdam, President Aliyev questioned the protestors’ actions, stating, “Why should food be delivered from another country? After all, Karabakh is Azerbaijan, and everyone knows that. Therefore, why should the goods be delivered from another country?”
Encouraged by Aliyev’s statement, his Foreign Policy Advisor Hikmet Hajiyev stated that it is not necessary to politicize the issue and insist on the use of the Berdzor Corridor only, keeping the Aghdam road closed. “There is no alternative to the Aghdam-Stepanakert road and the reintegration of Karabakh Armenians. The game is over,” Hajiyev said.
Baku utilized Michel’s remarks to advance its new narrative and ease the pressure from international actors regarding the unblocking of the Berdzor Corridor. This new reality became evident during the United Nations Security Council emergency meeting on the situation in Artsakh, where major actors emphasized the importance of opening both the Berdzor Corridor and alternative roads. This phrasing provided Baku with an opportunity to evade responsibility while extending its blockade of Artsakh.
Former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan announced that during the session of the Council of Ministers on August 29, discussions were held to open the Aghdam road. Discussions about opening the road started in July of this year. Azerbaijan presented this option as a solution to the “conflict situation.” Considering that there were no other proposals, particularly from Yerevan, the agenda proposed by Baku was put into circulation again.
In the midst of these talks regarding the opening of the Aghdam road, two trucks loaded with 40 tons of flour from Baku arrived in Aghdam on the evening of August 29. Lusine Avanesyan, the former president’s spokesperson, commented that Baku’s move to send humanitarian aid through Aghdam was not agreed upon with Artsakh authorities.
Askeran Mayor Shamiryan stated that residents of the Askeran region of Artsakh held a demonstration on the Armenian side of the road leading to Aghdam. The protestors once again reaffirmed that they would not allow the cargo sent by the Azerbaijani side through Aghdam.
Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh Davit Ishkhanyan stated, “This move by Azerbaijan is understandable, because they are pursuing political goals, trying to show the world that they have an internal problem, and the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh does not concern the outside world. Azerbaijan continues to resort to provocative steps and is trying to show the world that from their side all possible steps are being taken to ensure the needs of the residents of Artsakh.”
Hoory Minoyan
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Brothers and sisters!
This isn’t the time for silly humanitarian aid to Gharabagh. We democratically elected our great and glorious leader Nikol Pashinyan not once but twice for one purpose – to free Armenia from those oppressive and utterly undemocratic Russians. Anyone watching BBC and CNN to see what’s going on in the world? Russia wants to takeover the whole world and stop all people from being westernized and happy. Putler (i.e. Putin+Hitler=Putler) must be stopped – now! Armenia and Artsakh must be liberated from Russia – now! This is the most important thing in the universe – now! Our freedom loving and democratically elected leader Pashinyan started the process in 2018 with all our help, but the poor man is not done yet. So please stop these silly humanitarian gestures and stop the silly protests and just let our duly elected, freedom loving and enlightened Pashinyan finish his sacred work of freeing Armenia of Gharabagh’s burden and fighting the Russian Bear along with our lovely brothers and sisters in Slava Ukraine! This is simply not the time. Let our wonderful prime minister do his work. There will be plenty of time to protest Armenia’s disappearance from the world and feed Armenian refugees around the world afterwards.
Lol “Greg,” or rather Azerbot.
No one shares your stupid opinion.
Now that Aliyev achieved his aim of making Artsakh wholly dependent on Azerbaijan, he now sadistically uses food and medicine as a weapon against Artsakhis to squeeze them even further. We know Azerbaijan’s endgame is ethnic cleansing. When will the leaders of Armenia and Artsakh realize, that giving concessions to Azerbaijan, just smooths the way for Azerbaijan’s ultimate goal? Aliyev and other Azerbaijani politicians and bureaucrats don’t even make any pretense about upholding “minority rights” for Armenians and constantly repeat that Armenians will leave Artsakh. If that doesn’t ring any alarm bells, then when?
Yes it’s obvious that it’s a lost cause hopefully Armenians will move on from that lousy ally Russia as a result of all of this it hasn’t served them like the USA does Israel and the Kosovo Albanian cause hence doesn’t deserve reverence as though it does. It’s very sad let it be a lesson about misplaced perceptions of oneself and of those one considers as allies and develops and procures new weapons to safeguard what’s left of Armenia
Says Charlie the Brit who wants to convince us Armenians that we should hand over what’s left of Armenia to Turks because his government in London dreams of pushing Russians and Iranians out of the south Caucasus. Keep dreaming London.
Armenia is a tiny, landlocked, impoverished and remote nation located in a Turkic and Muslim region of the world. Armenia is not a viable state in that it cannot survive on its own, especially in the south Caucasus. Armenia’s independence from Russia will therefore turn into Armenia’s dependency on genocidal Turkey by default. No Russia in Armenia = no Armenia on the world map. It’s really that simple. What’s also simple is the agenda of certain people on this message board.
Excuse me Gurgen – Russian agent? putting words in my mouth!
I do not want Armenia to be in the “care” of the Turks!
Armenia needs to see Russia for what it is and not to be in a situation where Armenia is so dependent on Russia who has constantly shown it’s willingness to trade Armenian lands for favours with the Turks. Such as the transfer of Kars to Turkey the confirmation of Arktash as part of Soviet Azerbaijan the concurrence with Azerbaijan to take control in 2020 as Russia knowing then it was likely to engage in its own activities in Ukraine and needed the goodwill of the strategically more important Turkey and Azerbaijan and was confident that Armenia had no where else to go so would just have to take and shut up, or so it thought until it failed it’s tripartite agreement obligations and it’s CTSO alliance obligation and has endured a number of reverses in Ukraine which has shown it up. It’s worth noting that the USA under Joe Biden isn’t enamoured with Turkey and doesn’t feel obligated to follow Israel over Azerbaijan quite unlike Donald Trump, Turkey maybe a NATO member but is regarded as too close to Russia and hasn’t beyond closing the Bosporus to non Turkish naval vessels hasn’t sanctioned Russia, Azerbaijan apparently uses its gas and oil pipeline to Georgia and Turkey to Also carry Russian supplies neither actions endear to the USA which itself doesn’t need Azeri gas and oil. I noticed that you haven’t refuted my statement about the USA and Kosovo and Israel as this shows what real support is not the supposed support you imagine from Russia, perhaps as this doesn’t involve Armenia it’s beyond your comprehension? Regardless of our debates Armenia seems to be choosing up in its recent actions and your call for some form of unification with Russia is becoming more out of touch with the reality. It’s quite simple an Armenia beholden to Russia will have no support from the west in the face of Turkish and Azeri aggression and will have to depend on how sentimental Russia feels. An Armenia less beholden will gain support from the west and pressure on Turkey and Azerbaijan better links with Georgia and to the back sea. Serbia in the 1990s reached out to Russia when facing NATO aggression but this did more to antagonise the USA than garner support from Russia and the contrast between the support they received from Russia when facing NATO aggression and the support Ukraine has received from NATO countries when facing Russian aggression hasn’t been lost on them.
Breaking! BBC news -Azerbaijan launches attack on Armenian controlled remnant of N-K as i been warning of!
Too little, too late. It’s too late to do anything now. Major geopolitical shifts have begun across the world. The process started many years ago. We may be one bad incident away from a world war. Knowing that a global crisis was approaching, what did we do as a people? Instead of making the neccessary land concessions and moving deeper into Russia’s protective umbrella, we did the opposite. We Armenians effectively maneuvered Armenia right out of political contention and straight into a dead end. Consequently, we are no longer in a position to control or to even influence events. Therefore, what will happen, will happen. Let things come to their logical conclusions. And whatever happens, remember that in the big picture it will be our collective fault. We collectively made Armenia and Artsakh vulnerable to Western and Turkish meddling. We collectively alienated Russia from Armenia. This is where the traditional Diaspora, to its eternal shame, play a significant role. The Diaspora has acted as a pack-animal for all sorts of Western and Turkish agendas inside Armenia during the past 30 years.
In any case, if any of you reading this has at any time spoken against Serj Sargsyan, Robert Kocharyan or Russia, you have contributed to what Armenia and Artsakh are going through today. You got what you wanted in 2018 – a Western financed “democratic” revolution. You then got what you deserved in 2020 – a historic defeat.
People deserve the governments they have. There are no free meals in politics. Political illiteracy has a high cost. Revolutions end up eating their children. You reap what you sow. Karma is a you know what…
Why are we discussing? Action must follow.
Let’s stop the suffering and the wars.
Best unite for us with Turkey. It would be an enrichment for both cultures. How it once was.
There is clearly an effort by Turks and Westerners to lure Armenians completely out of Russia’s orbit because they want to have their way with Armenia when its is totally alone. Don’t automatically assume people who post politically motivated comments on these boards (usually along the lines of Russia bad, Westerns good, Turks are potential friends, Russians are covert enemies, etc) are curious Turks or Westerners, or even “patriotic” Armenians who happened to stumble across this website. Many of these individuals are paid cyber-activists trying to mold minds, ultimately because they know Armenian minds are easy to mold…