For the second consecutive day on June 16, Azerbaijan denied access for relief supplies and medical evacuations from Nagorno-Karabakh, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. 

The Armenian-populated region has been cut off from the outside world since December. On June 15, Baku suspended the movement of humanitarian convoys organized by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through the Lachin corridor. This decision came after a shootout near a controversial Azerbaijani checkpoint established there in late April.

Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) reported that its border guards intervened and prevented a group of Azerbaijani servicemen stationed at the checkpoint from advancing into Armenian territory and placing an Azerbaijani flag there.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry responded that they intended to hoist the flag on a bridge within the Lachin corridor and not to cross into Armenian territory. They accused Yerevan of deliberately obstructing the checkpoint's operation.

During a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Armenia at Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, Armenia expressed its strong dissatisfaction with the incident involving Russian peacekeepers near the Hakari Bridge. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan also criticized the total blockage of humanitarian traffic through the Lachin corridor and reiterated his call for dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert/Khankendi under the supervision of an international mechanism.

The de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh responded that holding a dialogue with Baku is “unrealistic” following Azerbaijan's decision to close the Lachin corridor checkpoint to all traffic, including humanitarian aid. The de facto Karabakh Foreign Ministry emphasized the importance of leveraging the potential and expertise of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, along with effective collaboration among all key stakeholders engaged in the peaceful resolution of the conflict. It also underscored the significance of efforts by the international community to end its transportation and energy blockade.

For the past seven months, the Lachin corridor has been accessible only to vehicles accompanied by Russian peacekeeping forces and the ICRC. This arrangement has allowed for the delivery of food and necessary supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Red Cross has facilitated the evacuation of critically ill patients for medical treatment in Armenian hospitals.

Read also: Nikol Pashinyan Says Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia Will Meet Soon in Washington; Comments on Recent Border Clashes