The ongoing crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is a major cause for concern for the Armenian government. The lack of access to essential goods, including food, has been a major issue since the Azerbaijani activists blocked the Lachin corridor, which is the only transport connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and the outside world.

At a meeting of the Armenian government on December 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan highlighted the seriousness of the situation and emphasized that Azerbaijan is violating its obligations under the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, which stipulates the guarantee of unhindered movement of citizens and goods along the Lachin corridor.

In addition to accusing Azerbaijan of violating the terms of the tripartite statement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also accused the Russian peacekeepers of not fulfilling their obligations, as stipulated in the agreement. Pashinyan argued that despite the illegal actions of Azerbaijan, the situation remains unchanged due to the lack of enforcement by the Russian peacekeepers. He also expressed his belief that the key task of the peacekeepers is to prevent illegal actions, and that they are currently failing in this regard.

In response to the Armenian Prime Minister’s statement, Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, noted that Russian peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh are doing everything possible to ensure order and tranquility, acting by the spirit and letter of the relevant agreements.

Maria Zakharova, the Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, added that the Russian peacekeepers are fulfilling their mission and have successfully settled the situation before the current crisis. In response to Pashinyan's accusations, Maria Zakharova stated that such attitude towards the Russian peacekeepers is not acceptable.

Armenia Refuses to Participate in Trilateral Meeting

On December 22, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation reported that the Armenian government had refused to participate in the scheduled trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan. The meeting was scheduled to take place on December 23 in Moscow, to discuss the preparation of a peace treaty. Vahan Hunanyan, the Press Secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, stated that Yerevan asked to postpone the meeting at the level of the Foreign Ministers until the situation around the Lachin Corridor is resolved.

This request was made two weeks after the Armenian government had expressed its readiness to participate in the meeting. According to Hunanyan, the Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijan, and the priority for the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan is to restart it by means of a trilateral agreement dated November 9, 2020. The Armenian side also submitted new proposals regarding the document on the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan, in spite of the refusal to participate in the trilateral meeting.