Azerbaijani FM’s letter over Lachin road distributed as UN Security Council document

The letter of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in connection with the situation around the Lachin road, caused by the illegal activities of Armenia, has been circulated as a document of the Security Council, Report informs referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The document focuses on the ongoing attempts by Armenia to politicize the situation by presenting it as a “humanitarian crisis that deserves the attention of the international community, including the Security Council”.

Over the past few months, there had been a series of formal and informal exchanges through the peacekeeping contingent regarding the illegal exploitation of natural resources in territories of Azerbaijan where the Russian peacekeeping contingent has been temporarily deployed, according to the letter.

“Specifically, on December 3, upon the request of relevant State structures of Azerbaijan, consultations started with the peacekeeping contingent related to modalities of on-site visit and monitoring of mineral deposits that are being illegally exploited. The consultations were also attended by representatives of local Armenians.

On December 10, following the agreement reached through the peacekeepers, a group of Azerbaijani experts in company of peacekeepers attempted to visit the mineral deposits of concern. Yet, the group was obstructed by pre -planned, orchestrated so-called “protests”. It was clearly observed that almost the same persons were staging such protests at two different sites where the visit of Azerbaijani experts was envisaged. Consequently, the delegation failed to implement its legitimate functions, namely to monitor the situation in the mineral deposits and assess the ecological impact,” reads the letter.

“As has been stated several times by official representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Azerbaijan has not put any restriction on the traffic along the Lachin road. The movement through the road remains the same as it was before. The Russian peacekeeping contingent temporarily deployed in the area is in charge of organization of the movement of citizens, goods and vehicles along the road.

The protesters declared no intention to block the traffic along the road. On the contrary, in response to manipulations, they publicly expressed readiness to facilitate the movement of civilian vehicles, especially emergency vehicles, and the videos disseminated through social media testify to the unhindered passage of the various kinds of vehicles along the road.”

It is emphasized that while Azerbaijan fulfills all its commitments, Armenia, grossly violating the provisions of the tripartite agreement, uses the Lachin road for illegal military operations. Information is also given on the severe consequences of mine danger.

“In total, after the signing of the trilateral statement in November 2020, 276 persons have become mine victims; 46 persons, including 35 civilians, were killed.”

Full text of the document can be found here