Karabakh: Europe can't turn a blind eye to illegal blockade of 120,000 people

PanARMENIAN.Net - Europe cannot turn a blind eye to the months-long illegal blockade of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) by authoritarian Azerbaijan, Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan has said in interviews with the Spanish EL PAIS and the Italian La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana.

"I spoke about the real reasons for the blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, the situation in Artsakh and the steps that the European structures and the public are obliged and must take to prevent the humanitarian crisis," Vardanyan said.

"I weighed in on the need to provide an air borne humanitarian corridor, which was used during the sieges of Berlin and Sarajevo.

"Europe cannot turn a blind eye to the months-long illegal blockade of 120,000 people by authoritarian Azerbaijan, the constant threat of stopping the supply of gas and electricity from Armenia, and the violation of all kinds of fundamental human rights and democratic values."

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.