Azerbaijan sets up border checkpoint in Lachin Corridor
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Baku said this move comes in response to Armenia's unilateral establishment of a checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road on April 22.
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Azerbaijan Border Checkpoint in Lachin Corridor April 23, 2023 (social media)
Azerbaijani forces have set up a border checkpoint at the entrance of the Lachin corridor which connects the Armenian mainland to the disputed enclave of Nagorno Karabkh, Azerbaijani State Border Service announced today.
"On April 23 at 12:00 [08:00 GMT], the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan established a border checkpoint on the sovereign territory of our country, on the border with Armenia, at the entrance to the Lachin–Khankendi [Berdzor–Stepanakert] road," the Border Service said.
The action which effectively separates locks Armenians in Nagorno Karabkh into a locked enclave was justified by Azerbaijan as trying to "prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia to the illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan."
Additionally, it was pointed out that this move comes in response to "Armenia's unilateral establishment of a checkpoint at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road on April 22."
Russian peacekeepers and the Russian-Turkish joint monitoring center were reportedly informed of this initiative, the border service noted.
Furthermore, in a statement on Twitter, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry cited Armenia's use of the corridor for threatening and illegal purposes as a pretext for setting up the checkpoint.
"Azerbaijan, due to misuse of the Lachin-Khankandi road by Armenia [and] resulting security threats, has established a border checkpoint on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border. Proper conditions will be ensured for the passage of Armenian residents of the Karabakh region in both directions!"
Azerbaijan, due to misuse of the Lachin-Khankandi road by Armenia & resulting security threats, has established border checkpoint on the 🇦🇿-🇦🇲border. Proper conditions will be ensured for passage of 🇦🇲residents of Karabakh region in both directions!
— Aykhan Hajizada (@Aykhanh) April 23, 2023
▶️https://t.co/ZUUMZ7vmQS pic.twitter.com/P0vZ4S0Od0
Armenia retaliated by denouncing Azerbaijan's unilateral roadblock and underlining how it violated both the 2020 trilateral agreement and the ICJ's February 22 ruling ordering Baku to enable free passage via the Lachin corridor.
"We call on the Russian Federation to finally fulfill the obligation under provision 6 of the Trilateral statement by eliminating the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and ensuring the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the entire security zone of the corridor, and we call on the member states of the UN, having a mandate for the preservation of international security, to clearly record Azerbaijan's actions undermining the regional security and take effective steps towards the unconditional implementation of the decision of the ICJ, the highest international legal body," the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.
Read more: Armenia accuses Baku of terrorism after shootout which claimed 3 lives
In late March, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) condemned statements made by the Israeli occupation's Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, regarding his agreement with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan to form a united front against Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry considered this yet another documentation "of the malicious intentions of the Zionist entity to turn the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan into a threat to Iran".
The MFA statement also called for clarification from Azerbaijani officials regarding the recently announced agreement.
Tehran also emphasized Iran's strong historical and religious relationship with Azerbaijan, and explained that it has been trying to "avoid deepening the gap between the two countries."
However, given the most recent statements by Cohen, the MFA stated that "Iran will certainly not remain silent in face of the conspiracies of the Zionist entity against it from within Azerbaijani territory."
