YEREVAN, AUGUST 19, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has called on decision-makers to find a compromise and make it possible to resume urgently needed humanitarian deliveries to blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) remains the only humanitarian organization operating across the Lachin corridor to respond to growing humanitarian needs. The latest deliveries of medical supplies occurred July 7, while the latest delivery of food occurred June 14. The ICRC is urging decision-makers to find a compromise and make it possible to resume urgently needed humanitarian deliveries,” the ICRC said in a statement.

The Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. The ICJ reaffirmed its order on 6 July 2023.

Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations.