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Azerbaijan seeks to forcibly displace Artsakh’s indigenous Armenian people from their homeland and subject them to ethnic cleansing, Armenia’s former Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said in a statement on Sunday after Baku again shut down the only pipeline supplying gas from Armenia to Artsakh and passing through Azerbaijani-controlled territory. Below is his full statement.

"Azerbaijan’s goal is the forcible displacement of Artsakh's indigenous Armenian people from their homeland and its ethnic cleansing. The humanitarian disaster caused since December 12 last year has now been compounded by a total blockade. It is the 210th day that Artsakh Armenians have been cut off from the outside world.

Since January 9, Azerbaijan has completely stopped the supply of electricity from Armenia, and it has not been restored to this day.

Since March 21, Azerbaijan has completely stopped the supply of gas from Armenia to Artsakh, and before that it was regularly stopping and restoring it.

Since June 15, all kinds of humanitarian supplies (food, fuel, medicine, means of hygiene, etc.) to Artsakh have been stopped.

Starting from June 25, the International Committee of the Red Cross is carrying out only the supply of medicine, and that too with strict restrictions.

On the afternoon of July 8, news spread that the gas supply to Artsakh had been restored, but from the afternoon of July 9, the gas supply was stopped again.

Moreover, all these policies are carried out with intention to spread uncertainty and anxiety among people.

Residents are not able to fill their cars with fuel even for the minimum vital needs - transporting people to hospitals, food and other needs. Bread factories are not even able to function.

In this way, the Azerbaijani government deliberately exposes the 120,000 residents of Artsakh to real terror, creates uncertainty, a feeling of anxiety for life and health, and hopelessness with complete isolation.

This is a natural manifestation of the ongoing hatred policy and animosity against Armenia, this criminal policy of the Azerbaijani government, steps arising from their real intentions."