All news
Updated at: 

Azerbaijani foreign minister denies country blocks Lachin corridor

Commenting on the protest on the road, which, according to Jeyhun Bayramov, is carried out by Azerbaijani activists, he said that they oppose the looting of natural resources, terrorizing the environment

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has denied accusations that the country is blocking the Lachin corridor.

"I’d like to clarify the situation around the Lachin corridor. A lot of information is being circulated regarding a complete blocking of the road, regarding a blockade of this region by Azerbaijan. First of all, I would like to note that this information doesn’t have a basis in reality, and is easily refuted by a large number of facts," the Azerbaijani minister said at a news conference following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Commenting on the protest on the road, which, according to him, is carried out by Azerbaijani activists, he said that they oppose the looting of natural resources, terrorizing the environment, and their goal is not to prevent the passage of freight, goods, vehicles or people.

According to Bayramov, there is ample evidence that during the course of the protest, ambulances, the vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and peacekeeping convoys "move freely in both directions."

"But we see an escalation of the situation, we see how much this narrative is peddled and hyped up by the Armenian side in order to create the appearance of a crisis. We believe that this is unfounded," the minister said.

He said that allegations that there could be potential difficulties on this road "do not stand up to any criticism."

On December 12, a group of activists from Azerbaijani non-governmental environmental organizations started protesting at the Lachin-Shusha road in Karabakh against the illegal mining of natural resources in the areas controlled by the Russian peacekeeping force. The activists set up tents and said they wouldn’t leave until they were provided access to the Gyzylbulag and Damirli deposits, where they said "illegal mining" was gaining steam.