The UN Secretary-General António Guterres took note of the rulings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued on February 22 on the proceedings between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the UN spokesman’s statement reads. 

The Secretary-General welcomed the fact that both countries placed trust in ICJ, asking "to resolve their differences.”

He recalled that the ICJ's rulings are binding and expressed his confidence in the Parties' will to implement its orders, notably the measures to ensure the free movement of people, vehicles, and goods along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

António Guterres also expressed the hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan will continue working to improve their bilateral ties through constructive dialogue.

The German and Dutch Foreign Ministries also issued statements calling to implement the mandatory legal order and demanding to ensure unhindered movement through the Lachin Corridor.

The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Armenia also made a statement following their visit to Armenia on February 17-19th to assess the situation on the border with Azerbaijan and at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor. The statement said that the situation in the Lachin corridor requires immediate action. Furthermore, it expressed concern over the frequent disruption of gas and electricity supply to the territory, which resulted in severe violations of the rights of the inhabitants. 

Referring to the situation on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the co-rapporteurs noted that they observed the consequences of attacks from Azerbaijani troops on civilian infrastructures in the city of Jermuk and the village of Sotk and were made aware of Azerbaijan military positions that extended well over any disputed border lines into Armenian sovereign territory. 

The monitors also “called on both parties to advance discussions on border delimitation and to agree on a mirror withdrawal of troops from the border as an immediate confidence-building move.”

“We will report our findings to the PACE Monitoring Committee during its next meeting. We remain extremely alert to future developments and reiterate our readiness to provide, at the parliamentary level, all political support needed to reach a long-lasting peace settlement,” the statement concluded. 

Earlier, the ICJ unanimously rejected Azerbaijan’s request against Armenia while partially granting Armenia's request for an interim measure against Azerbaijan.

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