January 19, 2023

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European Parliament resolution of 19 January 2023 on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on Armenia and Azerbaijan,

- having regard to Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world, the Lachin corridor, has been blocked by self-proclaimed environmentalists from Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022; whereas this has disrupted access to essential goods and services, including food, fuel and medication, for the 120 000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively placing them under a blockade;

B. whereas the blockade has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, significantly affecting the most vulnerable populations; whereas the transfer of critically ill patients is nearly impossible, with one death resulting from this situation; whereas hundreds of families remain separated;

C. whereas this humanitarian crisis was further aggravated by Azerbaijan's disruption of the natural gas supply to Nagorno-Karabakh, which left houses, hospitals and schools without heating;

D. whereas by sustaining the blockade of the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan is breaching its international obligations under the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020, under which Azerbaijan must guarantee the security of persons, vehicles and cargo moving along the corridor in both directions;

E. whereas the impediments to the use of the Lachin corridor set back the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and undermine international confidence;

1. Deplores the tragic humanitarian consequences of the blockade of the Lachin corridor and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict;

2. Urges Azerbaijan to respect and implement the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 and immediately reopen the Lachin corridor to enable freedom of movement and ensure access to essential goods and services, thus guaranteeing security in the region and safeguarding residents' livelihoods;

3. Underlines the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, which must guarantee the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian population; calls on Azerbaijan to protect the rights of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and refrain from its inflammatory rhetoric that calls for discrimination against Armenians and urges Armenians to leave Nagorno-Karabakh;

4. Urges Azerbaijan to refrain from undermining the functioning of transport, energy and communication connections between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in future;

5. Strongly condemns Azerbaijan's scapegoating of human rights defenders and CSOs and calls on EU and Member State representations to support their work;

6. Condemns the inaction of Russian "peacekeepers"; considers that their replacement with OSCE international peacekeepers, under a UN mandate, should be negotiated urgently;

7. Calls for international organisations to be granted unimpeded access to Nagorno-Karabakh to assess the situation and provide the necessary humanitarian assistance;

8. Calls for a UN or OSCE fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor to assess the humanitarian situation on the ground;

9. Calls for the urgent resumption, without preconditions, of negotiations based on the principles of the Helsinki Final Act;

10. Urges the EU to be actively involved and ensure that the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh are no longer held hostage by Baku's activism, Russia's destructive role and the Minsk Group's inactivity;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe and the Presidents, Governments and Parliaments of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

For more information: www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0012_EN.html