U.S. insists on reopening of Karabakh-Armenia road

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan on Monday, January 9 called for the reopening of Nagorno-Karabakh’s land link with Armenia which has been blocked by Azerbaijan for the past month.

In written comments to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, it reiterated the U.S. State Department’s earlier statements that the Azerbaijani blockade “sets back the peace process and undermines international confidence.”

Commenting on the possibility of U.S. humanitarian aid to Karabakh, the embassy said the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is trying to address “the needs of displaced persons in Armenia.” It did not elaborate.

The head of the USAID, Samantha Power, spoke with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Friday. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Mirzoyan said the international community should take “clear steps” to reopen the Lachin corridor and prevent a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Karabakh.

The State Department said last week that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to phone Mirzoyan and Bayramov “in the coming days.”

Since December 12, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by self-described Azerbaijani environmentalists. Karabakh residents have reported food and fuel shortages, while hospital patients don't have access to essential medicines, with only a handful allowed transfer to facilities in Armenia proper.