Azerbaijan must open the Lachin Corridor

Written declaration No. 773 | Doc. 15764 | 04 May 2023

Signatories:

Mr Ruben RUBINYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Nerea AHEDO, Spain, ALDE ; Mr Bertrand BOUYX, France, ALDE ; Ms Rasa BUDBERGYTĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Laura CASTEL, Spain, UEL ; Ms Sabina ĆUDIĆ, Bosnia and Herzegovina, ALDE ; Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Cyprus, SOC ; Mr Emmanuel FERNANDES, France, UEL ; Ms Aurora FLORIDIA, Italy, SOC ; Mr Bernard FOURNIER, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Armen GEVORGYAN , Armenia, EC/DA ; Ms Sona GHAZARYAN , Armenia, ALDE ; Ms Hripsime GRIGORYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Mr Jean-Pierre GRIN, Switzerland, ALDE ; Ms Valentina GRIPPO, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Arusyak JULHAKYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Kimmo KILJUNEN, Finland, SOC ; Ms Stéphanie KOCHERT, France, ALDE ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Jacques LE NAY, France, ALDE ; Mr Kristoffer LINDBERG, Sweden, SOC ; Mr Arminas LYDEKA, Lithuania, ALDE ; Mr Hayk MAMIJANYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, Belgium, SOC ; Mr Pieter OMTZIGT, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Ms Maud PETIT, France, ALDE ; Ms Catarina ROCHA FERREIRA, Portugal, EPP/CD ; Mr Armen RUSTAMYAN, Armenia, SOC ; Mr Alexander RYLE, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Stefan SCHENNACH, Austria, SOC ; Ms Petra STIENEN, Netherlands, ALDE ; Ms Liliana TANGUY, France, ALDE ; Mr Birgir THÓRARINSSON, Iceland, EPP/CD ; Ms Ingvild Wetrhus THORSVIK, Norway, ALDE ; Ms Beatrice TIMGREN, Sweden, EC/DA ; Mr Nicos TORNARITIS, Cyprus, EPP/CD ; Mr Kim VALENTIN, Denmark, ALDE ; Mr Vladimir VARDANYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Mr Markus WIECHEL, Sweden, EC/DA

This written declaration does not reflect the position of the Assembly; only of those members that have signed it. It will not be considered further by the Assembly.

We, the undersigned, declare the following:

On 23 April 2023, Azerbaijan unilaterally installed a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor grossly violating the 9 November 2020 Trilateral Statement. This is a worrying escalation since the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia has been blocked by Azerbaijan since December 2022 creating grave humanitarian and human rights consequences for 120 000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh.

We urge Azerbaijan to implement the binding decision of the International Court of Justice, which ordered Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor in both directions, and the interim measures indicated to Azerbaijan by the European Court of Human Rights.

We demand Azerbaijan to immediately end the unlawful and illegitimate blockade of the Lachin corridor and urgently restore the movement of persons and goods.

We urge Azerbaijan to co-operate in good faith and to authorise fact-finding visits to Nagorno-Karabakh, most recently requested by the rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly on “Addressing the humanitarian consequences of the blockade of the Lachin corridor.”

We call on the Council of Europe to act decisively for the protection of the human rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.