Yerevan appealed to the UN court over the installation of a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor by Baku

Yerevan appealed to the International Court of Justice over the installation of a checkpoint (checkpoint) in the Lachin corridor by Baku. Hasmik Samvelyan, press secretary of the office of the representative of Armenia on international legal issues, announced this.

“The Armenian side appealed to the International Court of Justice on the establishment of a checkpoint by Azerbaijan near the Akari River [Лачинский коридор, на границе с Арменией]which is a violation of the court decision of February 22, 2023,” she said (cit. according to TASS).

On April 23, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan installed a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, on the only road connecting the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) with Armenia. Earlier, Baku accused Yerevan of transferring military, ammunition, including mines, and other military supplies to Karabakh. In this regard, Azerbaijan decided to establish a checkpoint, the country’s Foreign Ministry said.

In response, the Armenian Foreign Ministry indicated on the illegality of the installation by Azerbaijan of the checkpoint in the Lachin corridor. Yerevan also urged RF to eliminate the blockade of the Lachin corridor and ensure the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the entire security zone of the corridor. The Azerbaijani authorities insist on the legitimacy of their actions.

In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Azerbaijan’s unilateral steps to install a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor zone and called on the parties to comply with the terms of the tripartite agreement. The US State Department also condemned Azerbaijan, noting that the installation of the checkpoint “undermines efforts to build confidence in the peace process.”

Since December 12, 2022, traffic along the Lachin corridor was actually blocked by an indefinite action of Azerbaijani environmental activists on a section of the road near Shushi. According to the organizers, the purpose of the rally is to prevent Armenia from exploiting the natural resources of Karabakh. On February 22, the International Court of Justice ordered Baku to allow free passage along this route, but the Azerbaijani authorities ignored this decision.

The aggravation of the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh has been dragging on since September 2020, when hostilities began in the region between the military of Armenia and Azerbaijan. As a result, a tripartite agreement was signed. Active hostilities have ceased in the conflict zone, and Russian peacekeepers have also been deployed along the line of contact and in the Lachin corridor. At the same time, the parties periodically accuse each other of provocations and shelling.