Events Overview

On December 12, some young people and members of various non-governmental organizations from Azerbaijan set up a tent on the Shusha-Lachin road and held a protest.

On December 12, protestors holding action in Shusha raised the Azerbaijani flag over the Lachin corridor. "Long live Azerbaijan! Long live the flag of Azerbaijan!" the protesters chanted. Moreover, Azerbaijanis organized a concert last night in the area where the action took place.

On December 13, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the command of Russian peacekeepers is negotiating with representatives of Azerbaijan regarding the restoration of traffic in the direction of Shusha-Stepanakert/Khankendi.

On December 14, by the decree of Araik Harutyunyan, the de-facto President of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, under martial law, a task force headed by State Minister of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan was created, and the movement of citizens was restricted.

Recent developments

On December 14, Fariz Rzayev, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, appealed to Armenia from the podium of the UN Security Council: "We call on Armenia to stop its illegal activities and territorial claims, completely withdraw its troops, compensate the damage caused to Azerbaijan, and focus on direct negotiations."

On the same day, a group of participants in Yerevan held a demonstration in front of the UN office. The participants in the action blocked the entrances to the UN office.

Also, ITV, the Azerbaijani public television, set up a big monitor in the protest where action participants and peacekeepers were watching the World Cup semi-final.

On December 15, three security vehicles passed from Armenia in the direction of Stepanakert/Khankendi after an agreement of protesters.

On the same day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu spoke about the situation on the Lachin corridor: "Russian peacekeepers have a mission to protect peace in the Lachin corridor. But on the other hand, the appropriation of natural resources in the lands of Azerbaijan is not in accordance with international law. This is the theft of Azerbaijan's wealth. Azerbaijan is right in this matter."

On December 15, the Russian channel RTV reported that the number of Azerbaijanis blocking the Lachin corridor had reached 500. Moreover, on the same day, the protest participants on the Lachin corridor put forward several new demands. They want to restore the control of all state institutions of Azerbaijan, including the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Border Service, and the State Customs Committee, on the sovereign lands of Azerbaijan. They demand the creation of separate checkpoints.

Furthermore, on December 15, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated: "The demands of the Azerbaijani eco-activists in the demonstrations on the Khankendi-Lachin road have not yet been met. At the same time, we have seen lies created for manipulation over the last two days."

On December 15, demonstrations continued in Yerevan in front of the embassies of responsible countries. The video shows a protest rally in front of the Russian embassy. The rallies take place in front of the embassies of the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the EU.

Kremlin reminds Aliyev and Pashinyan of possibility to meet at CIS Summit in Russia

On December 14, Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the head of the Russian state, stated that there are no specific agreements on a trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. However, they can talk on the sidelines of an informal Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit scheduled for the end of this year in St. Petersburg.

"So far, there are no specific agreements on this matter. At the same time, you know that an informal meeting of the heads of the CIS member states is planned, where at least three will have the opportunity to talk at least on the sidelines [of the summit]," Peskov added.

Earlier, Dmitry Peskov announced Moscow's readiness to assist in every possible way at the next meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Russian territory.

Furthermore, on October 31, Caucasus Watch reported that President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia met in Sochi in a tripartite format, the press offices of the Azerbaijani President and Armenian Prime Minister reported.