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The Armenian government expects a road map from Russia to unblock the Lachin corridor, Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh) sole land link to Armenia blocked by Azerbaijan for over two weeks, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

"The Russian peacekeeping troops in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Russian Federation, which has made specific commitments to ensure the security of the Nagorno-Karabakh people, should provide a clear explanation of the situation. How does the Russian Federation assess the situation? What is its plan and road map to restore the Lachin corridor? These are questions that the Republic of Armenia and the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are waiting for the Russian Federation, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to answer,” he stated.

Pashinyan says if Russia “is unable to ensure stability and security in Nagorno-Karabakh for objective or subjective reasons, it should initiate discussions in the UN Security Council on giving Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh a UN Security Council mandate or sending additional multinational peacekeeping forces to Nagorno-Karabakh."

“Such a question arises also because the closing of the Lachin Corridor is not the first case of Azerbaijan invading the zone of responsibility of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh. This was preceded by the Parukh events in March 2022 and the Khtsaberd events in December 2020, as a result of which around three dozen citizens of the Republic of Armenia continue to remain captives. There are all signs to assert that Azerbaijan is preparing another military provocation, including in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the developments of the situation raise questions that require an urgent answer regarding the activities of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the premier said.