MOSCOW, August 16. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has noted the priority of the swiftest resolution of the critical humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with the implementation of trilateral statements by Moscow, Yerevan and Baku in a phone conversation with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The heads of foreign policy agencies discussed the current state of affairs with regard to Nagorno-Karabakh and the process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement," the ministry said. "Lavrov noted the priority task of swiftly resolving the critical humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, taking into account the work done on implementing the set of trilateral top-level statements by Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020-2022 as well as agreements between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on upholding the 1991 Alma-Ata declaration," the statement said.

Additionally, "it was stressed that in the interests of settlement, it was important in principle to focus on coordinating mutually acceptable steps ‘on the ground.’" The Russian diplomatic agency specified that along these lines, the prospects of debates on the Karabakh issue in the UN Security Council were discussed.

The UN Security Council session on the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh requested by Armenia is slated for 3 p.m. EST (11 p.m. Moscow time) on Wednesday, August 16.

During the phone conversation, the two top diplomats also touched on certain issues on the bilateral agenda including upcoming interaction at various levels, the Russian foreign policy agency added.

On the situation in Karabakh

The Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, remains blocked. According to the Armenian side, on December 12, 2022, it was blocked by a group of Azerbaijanis and then Baku installed an official checkpoint on the border with Armenia. The residents of Nagorno-Karabakh receive humanitarian aid with assistance by Russian peacekeepers and the ICRC. On June 15, 2023, after a shootout between the Armenian and Azerbaijani border guards, Baku banned any deliveries of humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry considered Armenia’s appeal to the UN to hold an emergency Security Council meeting to discuss the situation around the Lachin Corridor as Yerevan’s attempt to turn this international body into an instrument for manipulations.