Resolution on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh

2023/2504(RSP)

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the humanitarian consequences of the blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, ECR, The Left groups and Members.

As a reminder, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world, the Lachin corridor, has been blocked by self-proclaimed environmentalists from Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022. This has disrupted access to essential goods and services, including food, fuel and medication, for the 120 000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively placing them under a blockade. This blockade has led to a severe humanitarian crisis.

By sustaining the blockade of the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan is breaching its international obligations under the trilateral ceasefire statement of 9 November 2020, under which Azerbaijan must guarantee the security of persons, vehicles and cargo moving along the corridor in both directions.

Parliament deplores the tragic humanitarian consequences of the blockade of the Lachin corridor and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It underlines the need for a comprehensive peace agreement, which must guarantee the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population.

It urges Azerbaijan to:

- protect the rights of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and refrain from its inflammatory rhetoric that calls for discrimination against Armenians and urges Armenians to leave Nagorno-Karabakh;

- immediately reopen the Lachin corridor to enable freedom of movement and ensure access to essential goods and services, thus guaranteeing security in the region and safeguarding residents’ livelihoods;

- refrain from undermining the functioning of transport, energy and communication connections between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in future;

Parliament condemns the inaction of Russian ‘peacekeepers’ and considers that their replacement with OSCE international peacekeepers, under a UN mandate, should be negotiated urgently. It also calls for international organisations to be granted unimpeded access to Nagorno-Karabakh to assess the situation and provide the necessary humanitarian assistance.

Lastly, the EU is urged to be actively involved and ensure that the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh are no longer held hostage by Baku’s activism, Russia’s destructive role and the Minsk Group’s inactivity.