Events Overview

On December 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the command of Russian peacekeepers is negotiating with representatives of Azerbaijan regarding the restoration of traffic in the direction of Shusha-Stepanakert/Khankendi.

On December 14, by the decree of Araik Harutyunyan, the de-facto President of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, under martial law, a task force headed by State Minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan was created, and the movement of citizens was restricted.

On December 15, the Russian channel RTV reported that the number of Azerbaijanis blocking the Lachin corridor had reached 500. Moreover, the protest participants on the Lachin corridor made several new demands on the same day. They want to restore the control of all state institutions of Azerbaijan, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Border Service, and the State Customs Committee, on the sovereign lands of Azerbaijan. They demand the creation of separate checkpoints.

On December 15, demonstrations continued in Yerevan in front of the embassies of responsible countries. The video shows a protest rally in front of the Russian embassy. The rallies take place in front of the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the EU embassies.

Russian Foreign Ministry: "It is unacceptable to create problems in Karabakh"

Commenting on the situation around the Lachin corridor on December 15, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that it is unacceptable to create problems for the lives of the civilian population.

"We are concerned about blocking the Lachin corridor; it is caused by disagreements between the parties regarding the development of ore deposits. The Russian Defense Ministry and the Russian peacekeeping contingent have been actively working to de-escalate the situation all these days. We look forward to restoring full-fledged transport links in the near future," the Foreign Ministry noted.

The Russian Foreign Ministry recalled that the corridor links [separatist] Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia and is under the control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent. "When signing the statement of the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan dated November 9, 2020, the parties assumed the relevant obligations, which must be strictly observed. It is unacceptable to create problems for the lives of the civilian population," Zakharova stressed.

The diplomat further addressed the unfounded accusations and provocative actions against Russian peacekeepers. "Wherever they come from, we consider them unacceptable and counterproductive. The peacekeepers are effectively fulfilling their tasks and acting as a guarantor of stability in the region," the representative of the Ministry stated.

Azerbaijan has restored gas supplies; Reaction from the US

On December 16, Ruben Vardanyan, the State Minister (head of government) of the unrecognized republic, said that Azerbaijan restored gas supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, stressing that this was done without any preconditions from Baku.

"Without preconditions, without our concessions, the neighboring state restored the gas supply. I want to congratulate us on this victory because we have shown our strength, and this is really our victory because we have shown that we are strong, we will not be discouraged, and we will not panic. We have shown that we really have the strength and will, and we must do everything for our life and future," Vardanyan added.

The de-facto State Minister of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh did not rule out that the Lachin corridor, which a protest event of Azerbaijani activists had blocked, could be opened earlier. "The road can be opened today [December 16]; this is their decision because they feel what a mistake they made. Because both here and abroad, they have come under great pressure," Vardanyan stated.

Moreover, on the same day, the US State Department said that Washington is pleased that natural gas has been returned to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Vedant Patel, the Department's Chief Deputy Spokesman, stated during a regular press conference that disruptions to the energy infrastructure might trigger a humanitarian disaster. "The Lachin Corridor shutdown has potentially serious humanitarian ramifications and, very frankly, puts back the peace process," Patel continued. "And we demand that unfettered travel along the corridor be restored as quickly as feasible; the way to accomplish this is through discussions," he continued.

When asked if Washington still thought the parties would sign a peace treaty before the end of the year, Patel said, "I would not attach a date to it." Meanwhile, he emphasized that the Secretary [Antony Blinken] should be aware of this, which he has given much thought to and is quite interested in. He added that other top officers throughout the [State] Department had done the same. "We are going to continue to be actively involved in this and go to the finish line," Patel emphasized.

Recent developments

On December 16, Masim Mammadov, the monitoring team leader, said that representatives from the Azerbaijani Ministries of Economy and Ecology met with the command of the Russian peacekeeping force in Khojaly. The Azerbaijani side again emphasized that it should examine the gold and copper-molybdenum deposits in Gyzylbulag and Demirli. "Peacekeepers must make sure that this work is done in accordance with the Road Map that was previously authorized," the official added.

On the same day, the Georgian Armenian community urged the Tbilisi administration to denounce Azerbaijan for blocking [the separatist] Nagorno-Karabakh. The organization posted on its Facebook page, "We call on the Georgian government to take advantage of the Azerbaijani Prime Minister's visit to Georgia, to have courage and give a real assessment of the situation, and condemn the despicable and inhumane step against 120,000 innocent residents [of Nagorno-Karabakh]." The petition, published on the community website, also requested that the UN Security Council's five permanent members intervene to stop a further genocide of Armenians.

On December 16, the next humanitarian aid convoy passed the action site on the Lachin road.

On the same day, European Union observers arrived at the closed section of the Lachin corridor. EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar stated that EU observers did not approach the Lachin corridor but monitored from Armenia's territory.

Also, Russian peacekeepers continued negotiations with the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides on stabilizing the situation and resuming road traffic on the road. 

On December 17, Russian peacekeepers prevented a mobile wave through special equipment deployed in the area. Currently, the set is very low in the area.

On the same day, The Russian peacekeepers did not create conditions for the Azerbaijani monitoring group to inspect the deposits on the spot again.

On December 17, Azerbaijani soldiers approached the Shusha-Stepanakert/Khankendi highway along the main route linking Karabakh with Armenia, near a checkpoint of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

On the same day, Azerbaijan's state television ITV provided conditions for demonstrators and peacekeepers on the Shusha-Stepanakert/Khankendi highway to watch the Croatia-Morocco game. The peacekeepers were happy with the goal scored by Morocco on the news published by local Azerbaijani media.