Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Friday, January 6 briefed the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Samantha Power on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) due to Azerbaijan’s blockade.

Since December 12, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blockeed 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.

Mirzoyan underlined that Azerbaijan's actions are aimed at subjecting 120,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing.

Emphasising that Azerbaijan flagrantly violates its commitments assumed by the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, the Foreign Minister of Armenia highlighted the importance of “precise efforts” of the international community aimed at restoration of the Lachin Corridor’s regular operation and prevention of the humanitarian crisis.