Karabakh state minister: Negotiations not being conducted on reopening of Lachin corridor

There are virtually no talks on the reopening of the Lachin corridor. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) State Minister Ruben Vardanyan told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am—and reflecting on the ongoing Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor which links Artsakh to Armenia.

"Azerbaijan made demands, we responded and announced that we are ready to receive the world's best experts in the field of environmental protection, we do not see a problem in this; but there is no response. We are now in a situation where negotiations are not being conducted," he said.

Asked whether Azerbaijan has any other demands besides monitoring in the mines of Artsakh, Vardanyan replied: "They want to watch over the [Lachin] road, which is unacceptable for us. The document of November 9[, 2020] very clearly writes that we must have an open road on which we can travel freely without asking anyone for the right [to do so]."

He noted that the December 25 rally in Artsakh showed everyone that the majority of people in Artsakh are aware of the three paths they shall choose.

"One of those three paths involves waging a struggle and getting out of this situation. It is the only path that the people of Artsakh have chosen. It is not my decision, but the decision of the people of Artsakh", he said.

To the question of how he evaluates the reaction of the Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh to the current situation, the Minister of State of Artsakh answered: "It would be easier for me to criticize the Russian peacekeepers, Armenia’s government, the US, French governments, the UN. But what's the use of that? The reality is that we have less than 2,000 Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh, who have very limited rights. In this situation, they do as much as they can. We may expect more, or our demands may be more, and we have the right to present our demands to the Russian side. But on the other hand, we can understand the reality. Those people who criticize the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh do not understand that they are consciously or unconsciously helping Azerbaijan because they say the same thing—that the Russian peacekeepers should leave here. By not offering any solution, they are simply helping to destroy within the very important unity that exists in Artsakh."