Authorities in an remoted ethnic Armenian area of Azerbaijan have allowed entry of a humanitarian help cargo in a step towards easing a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan that had blocked transport to the area since late final 12 months
ByThe Related Press
September 12, 2023, 9:51 AM
YEREVAN, Armenia — Authorities in an remoted ethnic Armenian area of Azerbaijan on Tuesday allowed entry of a humanitarian help cargo in a step towards easing a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan that has blocked transport to the area since late final 12 months.
The area, referred to as Nagorno-Karabakh, has been below the management of ethnic Armenians because the 1994 finish of a separatist conflict. That conflict had left a lot of the encircling territory below Armenian management as effectively, however Azerbaijan regained that territory in a six-week-long conflict with Armenia in 2020; Nagorno-Karabakh itself remained outdoors Azerbaijani management.
Beneath the armistice that ended the conflict, Russia deployed some 3,000 peacekeeping troops in Nagorno-Karabakh and have been to make sure that the only highway connecting the enclave to Armenia would stay open. Nevertheless, Azerbaijan started blocking the highway in December, alleging Armenians have been utilizing it to ship weapons and smuggle minerals.
The blockage brought on severe meals shortages in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan proposed that meals be despatched in on a highway main from the city of Agdam, however the area’s authorities resisted the proposal due to concern that it was a method to soak up Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijan agreed this week that each the Agdam highway and the highway to Armenia, referred to as the Lachin Hall, might be used for help shipments below Worldwide Committee of the Purple Cross auspices.
The help delivered on Tuesday contains 1,000 meals units together with flour, pasta and stewed meat, together with mattress linen and cleaning soap.
“We regard the truth that the cargo was delivered exactly alongside the … highway as a optimistic step and an essential shift in direction of the opening of this highway,” mentioned Azerbaijani International Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizade.