Newsletter of the Artsakh Government – Day 74 Under Blockade

The UN’s International Court of Justice has ordered Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded movement through the Lachin Corridor

The International Court of Justice published its decision on Armenia’s request for provisional measures concerning the unblocking of the Lachin Corridor.

The court concluded that Azerbaijan must, in accordance with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

In addition, the International Court of Justice unanimously rejected Azerbaijan’s January 4, 2023 request for provisional measures relating to the alleged planting of landmines in Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia in order to prevent Azerbaijanis from returning to their homes. 

The court’s decision notes that Azerbaijan has not provided evidence that Armenia has taken steps to hinder the rights of persons of Azerbaijani national or ethnic origin to stay in places of permanent residence.

The Tatoyan Foundation and the Artsakh Human Rights Defender have published a joint report on Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh

The Center for Law and Justice (Tatoyan Foundation) and the Artsakh Human Rights Defender have published a joint English-language report exposing the so-called “eco-activists” blocking the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world, revealing their demonstrated hostility toward Armenia and Artsakh, the real motivations behind this animosity, and evidence of their being sent by the Azerbaijani authorities and their lack of any previous involvement with environmental issues.

The report contains conclusions based on the evidence (photos, videos, testimonies) presented and will be sent to international organizations.

The report can be found here.

Artsakh MFA issued a comment on the statements made by the President of Azerbaijan during the Munich Security Conference

The comment states, “Azerbaijan’s attempts to interfere in the internal political life of Artsakh, as well as its vision of a dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku, are also absolutely unacceptable for the official Stepanakert. In this regard, we reiterate that a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict must be achieved through negotiations that will ensure equal footing for the parties and will not contain conditions that prejudge the outcome of the negotiations. In this context, we consider it necessary to restore the international mediation format as an additional guarantee of the irreversibility of the peace process.”

The complete text of the comment can be found here.

The Artsakh Minister of Foreign Affairs met with co-chairs of the European Parliament Friendship Group with Artsakh
 

On February 21, Artsakh’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ghazaryan met with a delegation led by French members of the European Parliament and co-chairs of the European Parliament’s Friendship Group with Artsakh Sylvie Guillaume and François Alfonsi and including President of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) Kaspar Karampetian, EAFJD Executive Director Heghine Evinyan, and Special Programs Manager of ARF Hay Dat Central Office Gevorg Ghukasyan.

During the meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs presented the challenges faced by the Republic of Artsakh as a result of the blockade by Azerbaijan, expressed his appreciation for the principled position taken by the parliamentarians with regard to the adoption of the European Parliament’s resolution on the Artsakh blockade, and emphasized the need to apply sanctions against Azerbaijan.

Update of daily statistics

6 children are in the neonatal and intensive care units of the children’s hospital.

6 adult patients are in the intensive care unit, 2 of whom are in critical condition.

283children have been born under the blockade.

About 710 people have been deprived of the opportunity to receive necessary medical treatment due to suspensions of planned surgeries in all medical facilities of Artsakh.

As of today, 113 patients have been transferred from Artsakh to Armenia to receive appropriate medical care with the mediation and accompaniment of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

755 business entities (17.7% of the total) have suspended their activities due to the impossible operating conditions under the blockade, while the remaining operate partially or with state support.

At least 5,100 people have lost jobs and sources of income as a result of the impact on the economy.

More than 29,200 tons of vital supplies, which would have been delivered during the period of the blockade, have not reached Artsakh. Only a meager amount has since been delivered by the ICRC and the Russian peacekeeping forces.

Key facts

Since the beginning of the blockade, many countries and international organizations have condemned Azerbaijan’s actions and called for the lifting of the blockade. The issue was also discussed in the UN Security Council, the European Court of Human Rights obliged Azerbaijan to take all necessary and sufficient measures to end the blockade. The issue has also been discussed in the UN’s International Court of Justice (The Hague) within the proceedings of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade of Artsakh.

https://mailchi.mp/4ea511cc88f7/day74en