In Stepanakert, the protesters demand the unblocking of Nagorno-Karabakh

In the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakerte, a multi-thousand-thousand-thousand rally took place demanding the unblocking of the Lachin corridor – the only road connecting Karabakh with Armenia. Now the corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan.

As reported by the Armenian Service of Radio Liberty, the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Araik Harutyunyan and the NKR State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan took part in the rally. They announced that the protest will be indefinite until the demand is met.

Human rights activist Geham Stepanyan said from the podium of the rally that the blockade had reached a critical point. “Completely cut off from humanitarian access since June 15, our people faced a real and undeniable threat of starvation, forced enslavement and genocide,” he said.

Gurgen Nersisyan also appealed to Armenia, Russia and the international community: “What else do you need, what are you waiting for? Do you want us to have dead bodies lying on this square every day so that you react?” He emphasized that in the villages of Karabakh, residents are practically isolated due to the lack of transport, there is no food in schools and kindergartens, and due to the lack of gasoline, the ambulance service will soon stop working.

The rally was held on the eve of the next meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which should take place on July 15 in Brussels with the mediation of the chairman of the European Council, Charles Michel.

• The territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is considered part of Azerbaijan under international law. The population of the region is mainly made up of ethnic Armenians. Since the beginning of the 1990s, Baku has not controlled most of the region. Representatives of the Armenian community proclaimed an independent republic, which was not recognized by any country, including Armenia.
• As a result of the short-term war, in the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan and Armenia, with the mediation of Russia, signed an agreement on the cessation of hostilities. According to the agreement, which provoked opposition protests in Yerevan, Baku returned to control a significant part of the territories of Karabakh and adjacent regions of Azerbaijan, which were occupied by Armenian troops in the early 1990s. Russian peacekeeping forces were placed in the region.
• Because of Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, goods and humanitarian cargo are not being delivered to Karabakh. There is a shortage of food and fuel in the region. The seriously ill cannot be taken to Armenia for treatment.