MP: ICRC office in Khankandi should be linked to office in Baku, not Yerevan

After the installation of the border-crossing point in the Lachin part of the state border with Armenia, all illegal entry and cargo transportation to the territory of Azerbaijan will be prevented. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is also actively participating in this process after the Patriotic War of 2020, and especially since the protest action of Azerbaijani environmentalists started on the Lachin-Khankandi road. Gurgen Nersesyan, the "minister of state" of the separatists, has already declared that since the border crossing point was installed, the ICRC has not been able to carry out cargo transportation intended for Armenians in Karabakh. How will this process be regulated after the customs and border procedures in Lachin begin to operate? Parliamentarian Elnur Allahverdiyev believes that the Khankandi office of the ICRC should be subordinated to its representative office in Baku and not to the representative office in Yerevan:

- There is a very easy solution to this problem: the ICRC representative office in Khankandi should be linked to the office in Baku, not Yerevan. After the war of 2020, the situation in the region has completely changed and new realities have emerged. I think the ICRC should also consider these realities and abandon the practice of the last 30 years. The reality is that Azerbaijan has ensured its territorial integrity, has taken control of the entire transport and communication system, and our laws and Constitution are working in our lands freed from occupation. Every state has borders and its territorial integrity must be respected. The Red Cross should take this into account and subordinate its activities not with its representative office in Yerevan, but with its office in Baku.

- How will this case affect ICRC’s activities, such as the transportation of humanitarian goods, the provision of medical aid, and the delivery of medicines to the Armenians there?

- Azerbaijan has repeatedly declared officially that the Armenian population in Karabakh are its citizens, and people who were not involved in crimes against our country and people can restore their citizenship and live like everyone else. Our state guarantees this process at the highest level. This provision is a solution to the points you mentioned. Our state has declared several times since the start of the eco-activists' protest campaign that it is ready to meet all the humanitarian needs of the population there. It is about every kind of aid, from food supplies to medical supplies. If you remember, our emergency medical team helped an Armenian resident and transported him to the hospital in Khankandi. This is the obvious answer to all questions. If medicines are needed, ICRC can solve this problem in coordination with the Baku office. Our stock of medicines is not less than that of Armenia, nor is our food, thankfully. Such issues can be resolved through reintegration. The International Committee of the Red Cross should also take action in this regard.

- How long do you think will it take to implement all this?

- You know, the processes are moving so fast and at such a stage that there is only one way out: to accept the reality. Neither those in Armenia should try to create artificial barriers, nor should the Armenians in Karabakh deceive themselves by hoping for something. They should come to terms with reality, accept our citizenship and live their peaceful lives. The remaining issues will be resolved by the state of Azerbaijan.