VIDEO: Azerbaijan Attempted to Disrupt Discussion on the Closure of the Lachin Corridor at PACE; Rubinyan Responded and the Issue was Put to Debate

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has decided mere minutes ago to discuss the humanitarian implications of the blockade of the Lachin Corridor on its agenda for this session. This was announced through a Facebook post by MP Vladimir Vardanyan from the ruling Civil Contract party of Armenia.

It should be noted that the newly elected President of PACE, Dutch politician Tiny Cox, stated upon commencing her duties that the humanitarian consequences of the closure of the Lachin Corridor should be addressed as a current issue in the assembly.

When the president asked if there were any objections regarding the discussion of the topic, the head of the Azerbaijani delegation, Samad Seyidov, requested to speak and declared his opposition to the discussion, claiming that the Lachin Corridor is not closed. He insisted that there is no humanitarian crisis in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). “There are some forces that want to present it as if the Lachin Corridor is closed, while it is actually open,” said Seyidov.

In response, the head of the Armenian delegation, Ruben Rubinyan, emphasized that contrary to Seyidov’s statements, not only is the Lachin Corridor closed, but a humanitarian crisis has also developed there.

PACE did not accept the Azerbaijani side's objection, and the issue was put to a vote. A total of 117 delegates participated in the vote, and with 91 votes in favor, it was decided that the issue of the Lachin Corridor will be discussed.