Once again Armenians heard supportive words from the international community; this time from the United Nations Security Council.
The discussion in the UN Security Council served to influence world public opinion and internationalize the Artsakh issue, thus pressuring Azerbaijan to allow 120,000 Artsakh Armenians to have access to food, medical aid, and travel to Armenia through the Lachin Corridor.
Here are excerpts from the 2-hour long speeches by all 15 UN Security Council members on December 20, 2022:
The first speaker was Miroslav Jen\u010da, UN\u2019s Assistant Secretary-General. He stated that \u201cArmenia and Azerbaijan have provided widely differing accounts of the situation and accused each other of violating the November 9, 2020 trilateral statement.\u201d
The Deputy Representative of France, Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst, made a powerful statement saying that \u201crestrictions on the free movement through the Corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh are unacceptable. The direct consequence of blocking the Lachin Corridor is the isolation of the NK population. It has humanitarian consequences that are getting worse every day. France calls for the unconditional restoration of traffic along the Corridor and of supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, while respecting the rights of the populations residing there.\u2026 France also notes that, as the Republic of Azerbaijan has undertaken, the safety of the movement of people, vehicles and goods along the Lachin Corridor in both directions be guaranteed.\u201d
Mohamed Issa Abushahab, the Representative of the United Arab Emirates, urged both sides \u201cto resolve their differences through peaceful and diplomatic means.\u201d
Ferit Hoxha, the Representative of Albania, noted \u201cthe importance of ensuring freedom and security of movement along the Corridor.\u201d
Geng Shuang, the Representative of China, stated that \u201cthe disputes surrounding the Lachin Corridor should be resolved through dialog and consultation.\u201d
Robert A. Wood, the Alternate Representative of the United States, strongly urged \u201cthe government of Azerbaijan and others responsible for the Corridor\u2019s security to restore free movement, including for humanitarian and commercial use, as soon as possible\u2026. Any attempt to cut off services essential to the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh is unacceptable.\u201d
Anna M. Evstigneeva, the Deputy Representative of the Russian Federation, stated that \u201cthe Corridor ensures a link between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.\u201d She admitted that \u201cit is under the control of a Russian peacekeeping contingent, which remains a guarantor of stability in the region and is carrying out its objectives effectively.\u201d She promised that a full transport Corridor will be restored \u201cin the very near future.\u201d
James Kariuki, the Deputy Representative of the United Kingdom, strongly urged \u201cthe immediate reopening of the Corridor. The Lachin Corridor is the only means by which daily necessities can be delivered to the region. The closure of the Corridor for over a week raises the potential for severe humanitarian consequences, especially in the winter. We also note with concern the civilians who have been stranded by the closure and urge that their unimpeded return is urgently prioritized.\u201d
Ronaldo Costa Filho, the Representative of Brazil, expressed his serious concern that \u201cany obstruction jeopardizes the well-being of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.\u201d
Jayne Jepkorir Toroitich, the Representative of Kenya, voiced concern about \u201cthe ongoing blockade along the Lachin Corridor.\u201d She called on both sides \u201cto de-escalate current tensions and cooperate in ensuring freedom and security of movement along the Corridor.\u201d
Juan Gomez Robledo Verduzco, the Representative of Mexico, stated that his country \u201cis following with concern the tensions surrounding the situation in the Lachin Corridor and the potential humanitarian implications of traffic blockages.\u201d
Mona Juul, the Representative of Norway, stated that \u201cthe blockage of the Corridor has already had severe humanitarian implications. Medical supplies and medical evacuations have been interrupted. As any disruptions to the supply of essential goods and services harm the most vulnerable groups first. This can and must be avoided.\u201d
Khalilah Hackman, the Representative of Ghana, emphasized \u201cthe need to prioritize the humanitarian interests of civilian populations. Any real or perceived blockage of the Lachin Corridor must be addressed as a matter of urgency to ensure the interrupted and safe movement of all persons.\u201d
Martin Gallagher, the Deputy Representative of Ireland, warned that \u201cwithout the free movement of people, goods, food and medical supplies through this vital Corridor, the people of Nagorno Karabakh will surely face a humanitarian crisis this winter. As a Council we must do everything we can to avoid this and prevent another man-made catastrophe emerging on our watch. Ireland therefore calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally restore freedom and security of movement along the Lachin Corridor\u2026. Ireland supports a negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable settlement of the conflict, including on the long-term status of Nagorno-Karabakh.\u201d
Edwige Koumby Missambo, the Representative of Gabon, expressed concern regarding \u201cthe closure of the Lachin Corridor, which could result in a humanitarian crisis. The right to move through the Corridor must be guaranteed.\u201d
Ravindra Raguttahalli, the Deputy Representative of India, stated: \u201cthe reports regarding blockade of the Lachin Corridor indicate adverse implications on the supply of essential items such as food and medicine to Nagorno Karabakh. This is a matter of deep concern and has the potential to precipitate a humanitarian crisis.\u201d
Mher Margaryan, the Representative of Armenia, warned that the blockade is \u201canother demonstration of systematic violence used by the Azerbaijani authorities to subject the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing.\u201d He urged the UN to apply \u201csanctions\u201d against Azerbaijan.
The final speaker was Yashar T. Aliyev, the Representative of Azerbaijan. He repeated the usual lies of the government of Azerbaijan, denying that the Lachin Corridor is blocked.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Once again Armenians heard supportive words from the international community; this time from the United Nations Security Council.The discussion in the UN Security Council served to influence world public opinion and internationalize the Artsakh issue, thus pressuring Azerbaijan to allow 120,000 Artsakh Armenians to have access to food, medical aid, and travel to Armenia through […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4101,"featured_media":774085,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3488],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-774945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-harut-sassounian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/774085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=774945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turkishnews.com\/en\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=774945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}