State minister: People of Karabakh have right to demand from players to make clear assessments, take steps

Azerbaijan has closed the road section of the Stepanakert-Goris highway connecting Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Armenia, connecting to the border of Armenia—in the Lachin Corridor—and started construction and furnishing of a checkpoint. This is noted in the statement by Artsakh Minister of State Gurgen Nersisyan released Sunday night.

“Azerbaijan has carried out an action, the inadmissibility of which and the fact that it is not provided by the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, has been declared many times by many, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation [(RF)] on February 28, 2023 in Baku.

“Azerbaijan has violated provisions of the tripartite fundamental document, which the main guarantor of the cease-fire—the RF—, the collective West, the member countries of the UN Security Council, have repeatedly declared the urgent need to follow, a document based on the UN International Court of Justice, the European Court of Human Rights.

“The people of Artsakh Republic have the right to expect, demand from the mentioned players to make clear assessments, take practical steps, and are waiting for them. We oppose Azerbaijan’s policy of [Armenian] ethnic cleansing with our clear determination to live freely in our own land, not excluding any means to achieve this goal.

“We reasonably expect that our determination against being forcibly deprived of our homeland or forced subjugation and our just struggle for our own rights will eventually receive proper international support,” the statement added.

Azerbaijan on Sunday announced the installation of a checkpoint on the Lachin-Stepanakert motorway.