The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia has expressed its concerns regarding the blockade of the Lachin Corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh which has been in effect for more than three weeks. In a statement, the Ministry said: "For 23 days, Azerbaijan has been forcing the population of Nagorno-Karabakh to deportation in plain sight of the world, continuing its policy of ethnic cleansing. The humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh is worsening each day with shortages of essential goods, food and medicine becoming increasingly dire. The danger of starvation is becoming palpable and hundreds of families remain separated on both sides of the Azeri blockade. 120,000 people are essentially held hostage." 

According to the statement, the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on December 20th, 2020 in response to Armenia's request for a discussion of the closure of the Lachin corridor and its humanitarian consequences for the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. “The majority of the Security Council called for Azerbaijan to lift the blockade of the corridor and grant access to Nagorno-Karabakh to international organizations. Armenia is taking targeted steps in all possible formats, including the UN Security Council and international and regional structures, to ensure a decisive response and action arising from the mandates and functions of these structures to remove the blockade of the Lachin corridor and address the humanitarian crisis facing 120,000 people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia is also considering sending an international mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground, as well as to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to Nagorno-Karabakh for the relevant UN bodies. Armenia is expecting Russia to exert clear efforts to remove this gross violation without any preconditions,” the statement said.  

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has responded to the statement of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the following message: 

"In light of the ongoing peaceful protest of Azerbaijanis against the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the zone of temporary responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made another statement, which causes confusion. Adhering to the same non-constructive line of Armenia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its statement claims that Azerbaijan has allegedly been blocking the Lachin Road for the third week, thus creating a "humanitarian catastrophe". The claims of the Armenian Foreign Ministry have no grounds, as the Lachin Road is actually open for humanitarian purposes. Photos and videos are published every day showing the unhindered passage of supply vehicles, passenger cars and ambulance cars on this road. More than 15 cars passed by the road today alone. Such statements and actions of Armenia are doomed to failure, just like the recent failed attempt of Yerevan, with the help of France, to pass an anti-Azerbaijani resolution in the UN Security Council in connection with the situation around the Lachin Road. France, being a member of the UN Security Council, could not pass this statement in 10 days, which is a great shame for Paris and a crushing defeat of the Franco-Armenian tandem. The trilateral statement, to which the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refers, provides for the use of the Lachin Road only for humanitarian purposes. Of course, the separatists, who, under the patronage of Ruben Vardanyan, set up an illegal business in Karabakh and are engaged in the plunder of Azerbaijan's natural resources, are worried that they cannot transport the gold mined to Armenia through the Lachin Road. That is why they want to present the situation as a "humanitarian catastrophe" and bring international pressure to bear on Azerbaijan. Therefore, such a statement of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not serve the purposes of post-conflict normalization and is aimed at misleading the international community."