(Yerevan) Armenian separatists in the secessionist region of Nagorno-Karabakh accepted on Sunday the passage of humanitarian aid into this territory controlled by the Azerbaijani authorities, a first step towards a de-escalation of tension in this region where Yerevan and Baku are two wars were fought.
Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of having caused a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh by blocking in 2022 the Lachin corridor, the only road which directly connects it to the secessionist territory populated mainly by Armenians.
Baku has rejected the accusations, saying Nagorno-Karabakh can receive all the aid it needs through Azerbaijan.
The Lachin corridor is managed by soldiers from a Russian peace mission as part of a ceasefire signed between Baku and Yerevan under the auspices of Russia in 2020.
Baku claims that separatist authorities have rejected its proposal to simultaneously reopen both the Lachin corridor and the Aghdam road which connects Nagorno-Karabakh to the rest of Azerbaijan.
On Sunday, separatist authorities indicated they agreed to allow “simultaneous deliveries” of humanitarian aid by both routes.
According to them, “mediators”, without further details, “are working to organize a meeting with the official representatives of Artsakh (Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh) in order to alleviate the tense situation on the humanitarian and security in the republic.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said it had been informed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) that separatist authorities had “accepted deliveries of humanitarian aid cargoes from September 18 (Monday).”
The European Union and the United States have called for the reopening of the Lachin corridor and the Aghdam road for the passage of humanitarian aid, as Nagorno-Karabakh suffers from shortages of medicines and food products.
On September 13, Azerbaijan declared itself ready to authorize the “regular” passage of humanitarian aid from the Red Cross into the Nagorno-Karabakh region, accusing “the local Armenian authorities” of blocking access.
This drawn-out crisis and Baku’s deployment of armed forces near Nagorno-Karabakh and along the border with Armenia have sparked fears of a new conflict.
At the end of the last war, which ended for Armenia in the fall of 2020 with the loss of territories it had controlled since the 1990s, the two belligerents did not reach an agreement on peace, despite the mediation efforts of the European Union, the United States and Russia.