Take Clear Steps to Address the Crisis in Artsakh: Ambassador Khachatryan to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe

On June 28, the regular meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe took place, during which the Armenian delegation raised the issue of Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor.

Ambassador Arman Khachatryan, Armenia's Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, first presented the gross violations of the ceasefire and provocative actions by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh on June 28, which resulted in the death of four soldiers. He emphasized that the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor, the installation of concrete barriers in the corridor, interruptions in the supply of gas and electricity, and the intimidation of the peaceful population of Nagorno-Karabakh through hate speech and threats clearly indicate that Azerbaijan is consistently attempting to carry out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ambassador Khachatryan presented to the Committee of Ministers the resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on June 22, titled "Ensuring Free and Safe Access through the Lachin Corridor," in which the Assembly warns that the current situation is unstable and may lead to the displacement of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh from their homes and communities. He stressed that the Assembly calls for urgent attention to be given to the rights and security issues of the Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh through dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert, and also demands the swift organization of a Council of Europe fact-finding mission.

Permanent Representative Arman Khachatryan noted that regarding the Lachin corridor, under the guidance of the PACE, the Assembly draws the Committee of Ministers' attention to the humanitarian and human rights crisis affecting the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh created by Azerbaijan's unilateral actions.

He urged the Committee of Ministers to take clear steps to address the issues raised by the PACE and respond to the deliberately induced human rights crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Committee of Ministers meeting also included an exchange of views with PACE President Tiny Cox and Human Rights Commissioner Dunja Mijatović. The Armenian delegation stressed the importance of the involvement of PACE and the Human Rights Commissioner in addressing the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulting from the blockade of the Lachin corridor.