The United States Expresses 'Deep Concern' Over the Rapid Deterioration of Humanitarian Conditions in the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh Region

On Sunday, the United States expressed deep concern over the rapid deterioration of humanitarian conditions in the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh region and reiterated its call for the immediate opening of the Lachin and Aghdam routes. Azerbaijan has blocked the Lachin route, which is the only land corridor from the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. In a statement on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, 'We note that humanitarian shipments are near the Lachin and Aghdam routes and we reiterate our request for the immediate and simultaneous opening of both corridors to allow humanitarian supplies to reach the men, women, and children in Nagorno-Karabakh.' Mr. Blinken stated that 'we also urge leaders to refrain from any actions that escalate tensions or divert from this goal. The use of force to resolve disputes is unacceptable.' In his statement, the U.S. Secretary of State mentioned that given the recent increase in tensions in the South Caucasus, the United States will continue to strongly support 'efforts' by Yerevan and Baku to resolve outstanding issues through direct dialogue, aiming for peace. Blinken emphasized that any peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan must protect the rights and security of the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. He noted that Washington also encourages dialogue between Baku and the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. The United States also emphasizes that the only way forward to peace is through dialogue and normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Reports indicate that Armenia is set to conduct joint military exercises with the U.S. this week. Earlier, the Prime Minister of Armenia stated that reliance on Russia and Moscow's security guarantees, which were not fulfilled, was a strategic mistake by Yerevan. On the other hand, according to Reuters, Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, denied reports of an agreement between Baku and the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh to simultaneously reopen two routes to Azerbaijan and Armenia. Hajiyev stated in a message posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that Baku proposed the simultaneous reopening of the routes, but what he referred to as the 'illegal regime' in Nagorno-Karabakh rejected this proposal. He stated that Baku will maintain control over 'border and customs' in the Lachin corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. He mentioned that the route to Azerbaijan will be opened for the first time since 1988 for aid delivery, which is one of Baku's main demands. Nagorno-Karabakh separated from Baku after a war that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. This region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but its population of 120,000 is mostly Armenian. Azerbaijan regained significant territory in the 2020 war and nearly completely besieged Nagorno-Karabakh. In December 2022, Azerbaijani civilians began blocking the last communication road from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin corridor - which led to severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicine, dramatically worsening the humanitarian conditions for the predominantly Armenian population in the region. The denial of reports regarding an agreement to reopen the routes comes as an Armenian state news agency - Armenpress - reported on Saturday that Nagorno-Karabakh officials had agreed to Baku's demands to reopen a road to Azerbaijan that had been closed for a long time in exchange for lifting the blockade of the Lachin corridor. Armenpress quoted Nagorno-Karabakh officials as saying that they agreed to this deal considering the 'severe humanitarian problems' in the region. At that time, Hajiyev had confirmed to Reuters that Nagorno-Karabakh officials had agreed that in exchange for reopening the road to Armenia, aid shipments would enter the territory from the designated route in Azerbaijan.