Blinken Concerned With Worsening Humanitarian Situation In Nagorno-Karabakh - State Dept.

Blinken Concerned With Worsening Humanitarian Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh - State Dept.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his deep concern with the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh due to the blocked Lanchin corridor, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th January, 2023) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his deep concern with the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh due to the blocked Lanchin corridor, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday.

"Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan," Price said in a statement. "The Secretary expressed deep concern for the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting from the blockage of the Lachin corridor."

During the call, the two officials discussed steps to restart bilateral talks with Azerbaijan, the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said that the Lachin corridor that links the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia was open for traffic.

Earlier this month, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan expressed concern that Azerbaijan's blockage of the corridor had caused a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the region. On Tuesday, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg called on Azerbaijan to reopen the Lachin corridor and ensure freedom of movement.

The Lachin corridor, which runs de jure through the Lachin district of Azerbaijan, has been blocked by a group of people from Azerbaijan since December 12, 2022. Russian peacekeepers have been trying to broker an end to the blockade with Azerbaijan, which is claiming Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh in its entirety. The Kremlin said it was concerned by the situation in the region and would continue talking to both countries to restore freedom of movement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday that the issue with the corridor can be resolved soon.