6,000 Armenians protest against Azerbaijan, demand Lachin road reopen
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AFP states that the people gathered at the central square of Karabakh's main city, Stepanakert after the Lachin corridor was closed over a smuggling claim against the Armenian Red Cross.
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Photo from today's rally in Stepankert, July 14, 2023 (Artsakhpress)
The Nagorno-Karabakh region was the scene of a protest attended by around 6,000 Armenians demanding that Azerbaijan reopen the Lachin corridor, the sole land link with Armenia.
According to AFP, the people gathered at the central square of Karabakh's main city, Stepanakert, after the corridor was closed over a smuggling claim against the Armenian Red Cross.
For 7 months #Azerbaijan has illegally blocked #Artsakh/#NagornoKarabakh. Since June 15 the supply of food to Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh has been completely halted.
— Anna A. Naghdalyan (@naghdalyan) July 14, 2023
People of Artsakh started nationwide movement rally in #Stepanakert's Revival Square to fight for their #HumanRights pic.twitter.com/kCQFPBa0Dc
Gurgen Nersisyan, a state minister in the region's government, used the Armenian term for the region to say: "We ask to ensure unimpeded movement, transportation of people and cargo along the corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia".
"The situation is terrible, in a few days we will have irreversible consequences," he added.
Read more: US threatens Nagorno-Karabakh delegates, forces meeting with Baku
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called for international unity on Thursday against Azerbaijan's "illegal blockade" of the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and further announced the launch of new EU-mediated peace talks with Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan denounced what he called an "illegal blockade" of Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming that it contradicts an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling.
"As far as the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the deepening humanitarian crisis are concerned, the binding ruling of the ICJ creates a possibility for a greater international consolidation to prevent Azerbaijan's policy of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh," he said.
Back in February, the top UN court ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement along the Lachin Corridor, which is the sole land link with Armenia.
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