On 28 April, Azerbaijani state officials invited a group of participants in the 138-day protest action on the Lachin-Khankandi [Stepanakert in Armenian] route to another meeting, which took place in the morning hours of that day. As work nears completion on a border crossing with neighbouring Armenia, Azerbaijani activists said they would end their protracted sit-in at 6pm local time.

10 eco-activists representing the participants of the action took part in the meeting held in the administrative building of the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Shusha district. At the meeting, Aydin Karimov, the Special Representative of the President in the Shusha district, noted that a new situation has arisen due to the establishment of a border checkpoint on 23 April by the units of the State Border Service (SBS) on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin road. As a result, the participants were once again offered to stop the action.

In response to the repeated demands of the state representatives, the representatives of the eco-activists said that it is necessary to hold general consultations with the participants of the action in order to consider the question of stopping the action. After the meeting, the eco-activists returned to the area where the humanitarian action was held to consult on the issues discussed. After the consultation and discussion of the participants of the action, the decision of the eco-activists was announced a little earlier and the statement of the representatives of the NGOs, eco-activists and young volunteers who were the participants of the action was read out.

The statement reads:
"Representatives of NGOs, eco-activists and young volunteers protested for 138 days against the illegal exploitation of natural resources on the territory of the Russian peacekeeping contingent of the Republic of Azerbaijan, which started on 12 December on the part of the Lachin-Khankendi road passing through the territory of Shusha. 
In the past, during the day and night action we raised slogans about the plundering of our natural resources and asked the international community and organisations to put an end to the environmental crimes committed in the territories of Azerbaijan. As young volunteers and eco-activists, we are honoured to convey Azerbaijan's demand in this field to the world community and to carry out our just struggle!
We have always felt the support of our people in the environmental action, which involved thousands of participants for 138 days, and this support has inspired us even more. The establishment of a checkpoint on 23rd April 2023 by the units of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan on our sovereign territory, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road, makes us proud and happy as every citizen of Azerbaijan. Because the creation of the border control mechanism is aimed at preventing any provocation by ensuring the transparency of road traffic, the rule of law and traffic safety. This decisive step aimed at preventing illegality on the territory of Azerbaijan also means that the participants of the action have partially achieved their goals.
We would like to announce that we, eco-activists and young volunteers, have partially achieved our demands, and taking into account the repeated appeals to us by the representatives of the state, we have decided to temporarily stop our protest on 28 April 2023 from 18:00.
We declare that our demands to the command of the peacekeeping contingent to stop the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits on the territories of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed, and to ensure the monitoring of environmental and other consequences remain valid, and if these demands are not met, we reserve the right to resume the action!
We express our deep gratitude to the citizens of Azerbaijan who have supported us for 138 days, to those who have contributed to ensuring our safety in the region, to the volunteer medical workers who are guarding our health, and to the local and foreign mass media that have conveyed the demands of our action to the world community!"

The Armenian side claims that the eco-activists' protest was organised by the Azerbaijani authorities. However, the UN International Court of Justice has not confirmed this claim. Despite this, top Azerbaijani officials, including President Ilham Aliyev, spoke out in support of the eco-activist action in the Lachin corridor. 

It should be noted that the establishment of a border crossing at the entrance to the Lachin corridor has led to international criticism of Azerbaijan. 

Armen Grigoryan, secretary of the Armenian Security Council, said the Lachin corridor belongs to Russia and should be controlled exclusively by Russian troops. 

For its part, official Baku notes that the Lachin district is internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan and the establishment of the border crossing there is its inalienable right. Previously, Azerbaijan accused Armenia of misusing the Lachin corridor for arms and military transport.