"The situation around the Lachin Corridor requires immediate action," emphasized Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland), co-reporters of the Armenian monitoring of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), who visited Armenia on February 17-19 to assess the situation around the Lachin Corridor and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. and Boriana Åberg (Sweden) in a statement issued yesterday.

"As of today, the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot leave the region freely. Only the International Committee of the Red Cross and the vehicles of Russian peacekeepers are allowed to drive through that corridor, which is clearly insufficient to meet the needs of the population. Furthermore, it is vitally important that the products can be delivered in time for the sowing season,” the statement said.

The co-rapporteurs, referring to the statement of November 9, 2020, emphasize that the free movement of all types of vehicles must be urgently restored.

Referring to gas supply and electricity supply disruptions, PACE co-reporters noted that it led to a violation of residents' rights. "Many people have already lost their jobs and children have been deprived of education as schools have been forced to close."

They recalled their joint statement with the co-rapporteurs on the issue of Azerbaijan in December 2022, which called for the restoration of free movement through the Lachin Corridor, as well as the 2022 ECHR, the decision of December 21, which obliges Azerbaijan to ensure the movement of critically ill patients through the Lachin Corridor, also emphasizing that they take note of the decision of the International Court of Justice of February 22, which states that "Azerbaijan should take all measures at its disposal to ensure unhindered movement of people, vehicles, and cargo through the Lachin Corridor".

Referring to the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the co-informants called on both sides to advance discussions on border demarcation and to agree on the mirror withdrawal of troops from the border as an immediate step to strengthen confidence.

They also welcomed the deployment of the EU civilian mission to the border, noting the significant impact of the previous mission in reducing tensions.

During the visit, the co-reporters were in the cities of Jermuk, Goris, and Vardenis, as well as at the entrance to the Lachin Corridor, on the Armenian side. They met the local officials and the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh who remained in Goris due to the blocking of the Lachin corridor.