Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has accused Armenia of “deliberately escalating” the situation in the region amid a humanitarian crisis caused by Azerbaijan blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), according to reports in Azerbaijani media.

Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population.

Bayramov complained to the United States Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim on Wednesday, August 10 that Armenia is thus “impeding the peace process.” He claimed that Azerbaijan has allegedly offered alternative routes for the transportation of goods, but the Armenian side “creates obstacles on the roads for the transportation of goods and opposes the transportation of goods along these roads.”

The Azerbaijani diplomat also accused Yerevan of making claims against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.