EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has expressed the bloc’s solidarity with Armenia in a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Miyrzoyan and urged Azerbaijan to lift the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the vital road that connects Armenia and the self-proclaimed Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, which has been inaccessible for months.
The Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world, has been blocked by Azerbaijani forces since December 12, 2022, under the pretext of environmental protection. The blockade has isolated the 120 000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, who are facing shortages of basic necessities and are calling on the US and EU to step in. Some residents have reported losing weight and having to grow their own food to survive.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate end to the blockade and urged both parties to respect the ceasefire agreement that was brokered by Russia in November 2020, which stipulated the reopening of the Lachin corridor. He also stressed the need for a comprehensive peace agreement that would guarantee the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population and appealed for calm and restraint from both sides.