(Moscow) Russia on Friday asked Azerbaijan to restore access via Armenia to the separatist enclave of Nagorny Karabakh, after the start of new shortages in this disputed region of the Caucasus.
“We call on Baku to completely unblock traffic on the Lachin corridor”, a vital road that connects Armenia to Nagorny Karabakh, said Russian diplomatic spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
In a statement, she said the blockage led to “increased tensions” and violated the ceasefire agreement signed in 2020 between Armenia and Azerbaijan, under the aegis of Moscow.
Mme Zakharova also hoped that Armenia would continue to participate in the trilateral negotiations between Moscow, Baku and Yerevan.
The two countries have been fighting over Nagorny Karabakh since the late 1980s, resulting in two wars, the last of which, in 2020, saw the defeat of Armenian forces and significant territory gains for Azerbaijan.
Part of the enclave, located in Azerbaijan, remains under the control of Armenian separatists, but they are now surrounded by territories held by Baku.
On Monday, the Armenian branch of the Red Cross said that medical deliveries to hospitals in Nagorny Karabakh, as well as transport of seriously ill patients had been suspended through the corridor.
Interviewed by AFP, residents of Stepanakert, the main city of Nagorny Karabakh, described food, medicine and energy shortages.
Since December, Yerevan has accused its neighbor of hindering supplies to the breakaway region by blocking the Lachin corridor.
Baku said environmental activists blocked the road initially to expose illegal mines and the transport of vital goods was not affected.
Then, in April, Azerbaijan installed a checkpoint on this same road for “security” reasons.
At the end of the 2020 conflict, a contingent of Russian peacekeepers was deployed to Nagorny Karabakh, but Yerevan regularly accuses it of inaction.