We have been warning the international community that the alarming situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is close to turning into humanitarian catastrophe for some months now. The closure of this vital lifeline by Azerbaijan has been instigating conditions of a man-made humanitarian catastrophe. Today is exactly eight months that thousands of besieged families in Nagorno-Karabakh have been suffering from critical shortages of essential goods including food, fuel and medical supplies, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the United Nations Mher Margaryan said in an interview on the BBC radio's Newshour program, adding that it is up to the Security Council to uphold its responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and taking appropriate measures to prevent mass atrocities from happening in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued provisional measure in February and then one again reaffirmed in July, according to which Azerbaijan shall take all measures to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the [Berdzor] Lachin Corridor, which Azerbaijan is not implementing to this day. The Secretary General of the United Nations made three statements: one in December, the other one in February, and the most recent one on the 3rd of August, calling for the unconditional implementation of ICJ's ruling and reaffirming the binding nature of it. Many international organizations called upon Azerbaijan to implement the court order. We have appealed also to the Security Council a month ago, asking it specifically to undertake urgent and effective measures in response to Azerbaijan’s violation of international humanitarian law and to ensure the implementation of legally binding orders of ICJ. Nothing happened so far. Even the International Red Cross is denied access to the territory. Many reputable scholars and experts on genocide have been writing, making statements about the clear genocidal intent of Azerbaijan in relation to the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The international community has an obligation to prevent such crime.
The Security Council has various actions in their toolbox. Most appropriate would be a resolution to mandate the humanitarian assistance office of United Nations (OCHA) to have an assessment mission to Nagorno-Karabakh and to deliver the humanitarian assistance that the population is in need of, as well as to implement the legally binding orders of the International Court of Justice by opening the Lachin Corridor. The humanitarian convoy is stranded on the border for two weeks now.
The situation is not about the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. The people are suffering, there's no food, there's shortages of medicine, there is an acute need for the international community to intervene, to prevent mass atrocities from happening now.”
