By Siranush Ghazanchyan, Public Radio of Armenia
Artsakh authorities held a meeting with Alexander Lentsov, the newly appointed commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops. Participating in the meeting were the President of the Republic of Artsakh, the Minister of State, the Ministers of Internal Affairs and Defense.
The officials reaffirmed the position of the Republic of Artsakh regarding the existing situation, Minister of State Gurgen Nersisyan informs. According to him, the position is that the settlement of the situation should be based on the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020. Point 6 of that statement stipulates that:
- Artsakh should be connected with Armenia through the 5-kilometer-wide Lachin Corridor
- The Lachin Corridor should be under the control of the Russian peacekeeping forces
- Azerbaijan must guarantee the safety of the movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions through the Lachin Corridor.
The commander of the Russian peacekeeping troops said he will have meetings with the Azerbaijani side in the coming days and will be able to address the issue and provide information at the end of the week, Gurgen Nersisyan said in a Facebook post.
He appealed to the citizens of the Republic of Armenia and the authorities to take all steps, all possible political and diplomatic measures to ensure the safety of the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh, to protect the right of self-determination of the people of Artsakh, and to ensure the fulfillment of the provisions of the Tripartite Statement.
He appealed to the international community to ensure the fulfillment of Azerbaijan’s commitment to unblock the corridor connecting Artsakh to Armenia. “The consequence of your inaction or passivity is the daily suffering of the residents of Artsakh,” the State Minister said.
He also appealed to Armenians around the world, saying “turn your face to Artsakh, see the people who are keeping Armenian Artsakh at the cost of suffering.”
