On January 24, the UK House of Commons held a special debate on the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and its humanitarian consequences.
MPs Tim Loughton, Jessica Morden, Giles Francis Watling, Richard James Shannon, John Whittingdale, Carol Monaghan, Chris Lowe, Rupa Huq, Martyn Day and Stephen Doughty issued statements of condemnation and called for the corridor to be reopened immediately.
In the speeches, there were calls to apply sanctions against the Aliyev regime, to put pressure on Azerbaijan, and the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan's intention to carry out ethnic cleansing in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) were described as a continuation of the Armenian Genocide.
Bob Blackman and Matthew Offord, members of the Great Britain-Azerbaijan Friendship Group, also spoke. They stated that the conflict has been going on since the 1990s, that Nagorno-Karabakh is considered an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, but it is controlled by Armenians, therefore it is necessary to take into account the interests of Azerbaijan, to de-mine the territories so that the refugees can return.
After the announcements, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Americas and the Caribbean David Rutley spoke, replacing Leo Doherty, who is on secondment.
“Great Britain supports the actions of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is very complicated, the British government actively cooperates with the governments of both countries. The conflict has no military solution; it must be solved diplomatically.
The corridor of Lachin was closed by Azerbaijani protesters, depriving the population of Nagorno-Karabakh of means of livelihood. In the statement of November 9, there is a provision about unimpeded travel through the Lachin Corridor. The British government simply declares that the Azerbaijani government should unblock the Lachin Corridor. The British ambassador to Azerbaijan is also involved in the debate of this issue with the Baku authorities. In the near future, Leo Doherty will talk with Jeyhun Bayramov. Our message is clear: Lachin Corridor must be unblocked, peace must be achieved through negotiations.
We support international efforts, including the EU and the OSCE. The UK government is in active contact with humanitarian organizations, including the Red Cross, and we will continue to work with NGOs on the ground. The British government provided 350,000 pounds for humanitarian relief.
Prisoners of war must return to their homeland, we are also advancing this issue. The UK Government adheres to the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.
Great Britain did not block the statement of the acting president of the UN Security Council on the Lachin Corridor. At this moment, we cannot discuss the issue of sanctions against Azerbaijan. We welcome the deployment of the EU civilian mission in Armenia,” said David Rutley.
