Events Overview

On December 3, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Ecology stated that natural resources are illegally exploited in the Karabakh area, where Russian forces are stationed. Based on a request from the Ministry of Ecology, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense contacted Russian peacekeepers to observe and confirm the illegal mining of minerals.

On December 10, Caucasus Watch reported that the visit of Azerbaijani environmentalists was coordinated with the Russian peacekeeping troops in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On December 11, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs submitted a note to Russia regarding peacekeepers. Aykhan Hajizada, the head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said that the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly appealed to the command of the peacekeeping contingent to prevent the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Azerbaijani territories where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed, as well as to eliminate the consequences of the negative impact on the environment.

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.

Recent developments regarding the tension between Azerbaijan and Russia

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, an operational headquarters was established in Armenia’s Syunik province. The operational headquarters provides services to passengers and drivers stuck on the road due to the blocking of the only road connecting Armenia to Karabakh. A hotline has been launched for this purpose.

On the same day, Russian peacekeepers brought modular houses to the area of the protest action at the Lachin corridor. They have already set up the houses.

Furthermore, on December 13, representatives of the opposition "Resistance" movement held a rally in support of (separatist) Nagorno-Karabakh in Yerevan.

De-facto leader of separatist Nagorno-Karabakh Addresses the issue

Arayik Harutyunyan, the de-facto leader of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh, stated, "Provocative actions will not work, Stepanakert [Khankendi in Azerbaijani] will not make a unilateral compromise. In response to the monitoring visit of the so-called environmentalists, the [de-facto] Nagorno-Karabakh authorities also made demands. We behaved very constructively, but all our proposals were rejected. If their goal was environmental monitoring, we proposed it. We did. It was not accepted because their goal was to block the road."

"I call on the Armenians living in Armenia and the diaspora to convey the voice of Nagorno-Karabakh to international organizations through peaceful actions, stating that there is a humanitarian disaster here," he added.

"We must not despair. We must know that any concession under pressure will be followed by another demand for concession. Until now, we have never made unilateral compromises and never solved problems under pressure. There were always discussions, and as a result, we reached an agreement. These were problems related to infrastructure, roads, and using Sarsang's [reservoir] waters. There has always been a dialogue, but this time it was broken," the de-facto leader of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh stressed.

Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan on recent developments

Hikmet Hajiyev, the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, in a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps, said: "We have sent letters to the Russian peacekeepers, we are in contact with their commander."

"During the years of occupation and after the liberation of the territories, issues related to the sovereignty of Azerbaijan cause serious concern in our society. Therefore, Azerbaijani civil society activists, representatives of non-governmental organizations, and other activists gathered at the Shusha-Khankendi-Lachin road junction and held a protest," he added.

"The demands of the protestors are consistent with all legal frameworks. They demand an end to environmental terrorism in Karabakh," Hajiyev stated.

Extraordinary session of the Armenian Security Council 

On December 13, an extraordinary Security Council session was held under Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Press Office of the Armenian Prime Minister reported.

In addition to the members of the Security Council, the President of the Republic Vahagn Khachaturyan, and the President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan, also participated in the meeting.

According to the report, the developments in the Lachin Corridor were discussed.

Ned Price: "The United States has consistently focused on the need for de-escalation"

On December 12, at a traditional briefing at the State Department, official representative Ned Price said that the US is trying to eliminate the tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan due to the conflict in the Lachin Corridor.

In response to a question about whether the United States has any position on the recent tension and whether Washington can control the situation due to the escalation of tension, State Department official Ned Price said: "I think that we have consistently focused on this situation, the tension. We have concentrated on the need to eliminate it so that the two countries can move forward with a solid and comprehensive settlement."

Price reminded that some time ago, the United States organized a meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in Washington within the framework of the UN General Assembly in New York. "Our General Counsel, Philip Reeker, is actively working with officials in both countries to do everything possible to ensure that tensions are resolved," Price added.