Previous reports

On December 23, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, called Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan. "During the phone conversation, Emmanuel Macron touched upon relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the situation on the road leading to the city of Khankendi [Stepanakert in Armenian] through the Lachin district of Azerbaijan," the report added.

On December 24, a crowd of local Armenians marched from Stepanakert/Khankendi in Karabakh to the Russian peacekeeping checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, calling for the road to reopen. Furthermore, they spoke with the 2nd in command of the Russia peacekeeping contingent, who stated the road would be opened on December 26.

Also, on the same day, Russian Peacekeeping forces removed their tents and containers from the current standoff location on the Lachin corridor after the call between Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin.

Recent developments

On December 26, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Mikhail Galuzin stated that the aggravation of the situation around the Lachin corridor complicates the work on the development of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. "Certainly, incidents like the current aggravation around the Lachin corridor cannot but complicate the background for negotiations, including on a peace treaty. The Russian side is making energetic efforts to resolve the situation on the ground. We look forward to the soonest resumption of joint work on all tracks of the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization," the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation said. According to him, in this case, the timing of the agreement of the document is not so important. "The main thing is that Yerevan and Baku could come to a mutually acceptable solution that would guarantee a stable and fair peace in the region," the Russian diplomat stressed.

On December 27, Ruben Vardanyan, the de-facto Nagorno-Karabakh State Minister, confirmed that 10 tonnes of humanitarian aid (medicine, baby formula, and medical supplies) were received through ICRC mediation, enough for about ten days. 

On the same day, Azerbaijan's state-run Ictimai TV posted footage of 2 Russian peacekeeping lorries that permitted passage through the roadblock, heading toward Armenia. Furthermore, Azerbaijan state media showed new footage of ten tankers, three lorries, and a press vehicle belonging to the Russia peacekeeping contingent passing through the Nagorno-Karabakh roadblock, leaving the territory.

On December 28, local Armenians gathered around Russia's Peacekeeping Headquarter, asking to speak with its commander Andrey Volkov. The crowd mainly asked for direct answers about the road blockade. Participants included women and children, some lit bonfires to stay warm at night as many, especially the men, stayed there at night. Also, Armenians said they would blockade the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri if the road is not opened.

On the same day, Volkov visited the de-facto government building of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh. After the meeting, Nagorno-Karabakh temporarily suspended activity at Base Metals mines after consultations with the company due to the Azerbaijan activists [which blocked the Lachin Corridor]. The procedure reviews are to be carried out by international experts, the de-facto governemt of Nagorno-Karabakh stated.

On December 28, the unofficial Telegram channel of Russian Peacekeeping Forces posted, "While Pashinyan is presenting an ultimatum to Moscow, Russian peacekeepers are improving their skills in fire training." Notably, in the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pashinyan said, "Now it turns out that the Lachin Corridor is not under the control of Russian peacekeepers, and I would like to discuss that situation and the available variants."