|
The
two countries have fought repeated wars over Nagorno-Karabakh -
internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but home to
about 120,000 ethnic Armenians - since the 1991 collapse of the
Soviet Union. As recently as September, more than 200 soldiers
were killed in a flare-up of fighting.
A group of Azerbaijanis claiming to be environmental activists
blocked the Lachin corridor, the only land route for people,
goods, food and medical supplies to reach Nagorno-Karabakh from
Armenia across Azerbaijani territory, at the start of this week.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that
the closure of the passage was a "gross violation" of a 2020
peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan and that the population
of the enclave had been made into hostages.
Armenia says the protesters have been dispatched by the
Azerbaijani government in an attempt to block Armenia's access
to the region. Baku rejects those claims, saying the dispute is
over illegal Armenian mining in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The standoff is a test of Russia's authority as the main
security guarantor in the region at a time when its struggles in
the war in Ukraine risk undermining its top-dog status among
former Soviet republics in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
The Azerbaijani protesters have managed to blockade the road
despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers from a 5,000-strong
force that Moscow sent in late 2020.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed
Moscow's concern over the situation and said it expected the
route to be cleared soon.
"Russia's defence ministry and the Russian peacekeeping
contingent have been actively working to de-escalate the
situation and we expect full transport links to be restored in
the very near future," Zakharova told reporters.
Russia is an ally of Armenia through a mutual self-defence pact,
but tries to maintain warm relations with Azerbaijan and has
rejected calls by Yerevan to provide military support.
The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that the closure of
the Lachin corridor "has severe humanitarian implications and
sets back the peace process", and called on Azerbaijan to
restore free movement.
The European Union also expressed "serious concern" over the
deteriorating situation, urging Azerbaijan to restore free and
secure passage.
(Reporting by Jake Cordell; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Hugh
Lawson)
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
