• 

Yeghishe Kirakosyan, Armenia's representative on legal matters, accused Azerbaijan at the Hague's International Court of Justice (ICJ) of "ethnic cleansing" after the Nagorno-Karabakh has been subjected to a blockade due to a group of Azeri environmental activists who have been blocking the only route into Karabakh from Armenia since December 12. 

They have occupied the Lachin corridor which links Karabakh to Armenia and claimed to do so in protest of illegal mining activities causing environmental damage. 

Kirakosyan said, "Such blatant acts of ethnic cleansing have no place in the modern era," adding that "Azerbaijan appears intent on strangling the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, no matter the human cost."

The Armenian official requested the ICJ order Azerbaijan to end the blockade and guarantee the complete return of a functional supply chain to the region, including goods and energy products, arguing that "this court is the last hope for the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh."

On 23 January 2023, Armenia filed its Memorial at the #ICJ in the case concerning the interpretation and application of the #ICERD against Azerbaijan, which provides detailed accounts of decades-long grave violations of the #ICERD by #Azerbaijan

— Yeghishe Kirakosyan (@YeghisheK) January 24, 2023

On the other hand, Azerbaijan responded by slamming the allegations as "baseless".

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov told the court that "Armenia's claims of a protester blockade are absolutely false" and displayed evidence that allegedly showed the movement of a supply chain across the region.

WATCH LIVE: Azerbaijan presents its oral argument on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by Armenia in the case #Armenia v. #Azerbaijan https://t.co/H75D9AmMck

— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 30, 2023

Mammadov then reiterated, "Azerbaijan's message for the Armenian people is one of reconciliation."

Read more: Breaking Defense: "Israel" eyes Azerbaijan to confront Iran

According to the Armenian parliament, the road blockade has caused the region to face significant food, fuel, and medicine shortages. At the same time, Baku claims that the road is not blocked and civilian vehicles are free to go to and from Nagorno-Karabakh.

"This is the only road that connects Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) with the rest of the world. Not only Armenia, we reach the rest of the world through Armenia," Donara Gabrielyan, a 70-year-old Stepanakert resident stated to AFP on Saturday. 

International concern mounts

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called in December for de-escalation between the conflicted parties, adding that the Russian peacekeeping units were "clearly fulfilling its tasks" despite operating in "very difficult conditions."

On September 13, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani expressed "Iran's readiness to provide any assistance needed to resolve the disagreements between its two neighbors" after a ceasefire had collapsed right after entering into force. 

Earlier in October, the Iranian President's Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs, Mohammad Jamshidi, said that Raisi opposed any changes to Iran's historical borders in the South Caucasus.

"President Raisi to president Aliev of Azerbaijan made clear that any change in historical borders, regional geopolitics, and Iran-Armenia transit routes is not tolerable. Also, any European military presence under any guise is rejected. The West can't distract us strategically," Jamshidi tweeted

In the same context, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the Azerbaijani Ilham Aliyev to secure uninterrupted passage between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In a statement released by the French presidency, Macron, on Friday, "expressed his deepest preoccupation with renewed tensions in the South Caucasus" to Aliyev and urged him to "allow free movement along the Lachin corridor."

Read more: We reject international presence in the region: Iran FM