Azerbaijan said on Wednesday it rejected Armenia's accusations that it closed the Lachin corridor, indicating that Russian troops were blocking the road.
“As for the claims stating that the Lachin road was closed, and the Armenian residents living in the area are allegedly facing the threat of a humanitarian crisis, it should be noted that the Lachin road was closed not by Azerbaijani protesters, but by the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Azerbaijan is ready to facilitate humanitarian needs of all Armenian residents living on its territories, and the claims of Armenian side are baseless,” it added.
Lachin holds the main road leading from Karabakh to Armenia.
Commenting on the protests by the Azerbaijani public and environmental activists on the Shusha-Lachin road, the statement said the demonstrations are the result of the “rightful dissatisfaction of the Azerbaijani public with the illegal economic activity, looting of natural resources, and damage to the environment in the territories of Azerbaijan in which Russian peacekeepers are deployed.”
It said that representatives of Azerbaijan attempted to visit the areas where mineral resources are being illegally exploited but the visit was prevented, which caused the protest.
“As a result of Armenia's ongoing provocations, since the end of the 2020 Patriotic War, 268 citizens of Azerbaijan have become victims of landmine explosions, and 45 people, including three journalists, have died. Thirty-five of the 45 killed were civilians,” the ministry said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in October that clearing mines that have been planted by Armenia on occupied Azerbaijani territories will take nearly 30 years and cost $25 billion.
Baku also highlighted that Yerevan is not fulfilling its obligations under a statement signed after the Karabakh war in 2020, including the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territory, as it abuses the Lachin road for military provocations and obstructs the opening of all transport communications in the region.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
Clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian Army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces, violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.
However, the cease-fire has been broken several times since then.
Azerbaijani ecologists representing nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) early on Monday protested against the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the region where a Russian peacekeeping contingent is stationed.
The protests were held on the Lachin-Shusha road, where activists have set up tents and have refused to leave until they are permitted to enter the region where two mines are located, Azerbaijani state news agency AZERTAC reported.
On Sunday, Azerbaijan sent a diplomatic note to Russia concerning the "illegal exploitation" of natural resources in the liberated Karabakh region, as its officials were prevented from entering the area a day before.
A statement from the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that illegal exploitation and looting of natural resources were observed, especially in the Kyzylbulag gold and Demirli copper-molybdenum mines.
The communique said that negotiations were held between the two sides and an agreement was reached on Saturday, but officials from Baku were still prevented from visiting the area.
