Aid supplies reach Nagorno-Karabakh for the first time in months, yet the pathway to Armenia stays obstructed.
In a flipping of the script, a Russian Red Cross truck carrying much-needed aid ventured into the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani city, Aghdam on September 12. This was the first humanitarian aid delivery to the territory in over three months, as Azerbaijan had blocked all traffic on the Lachin corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
This trek also marked the initial use in roughly three decades of the road connecting Aghdam with Karabakh's de facto capital Stepanakert. Baku had been pressing since July for Nagorno-Karabakh to receive aid from the Azerbaijani side, a proposal welcomed by the EU but staunchly opposed by Karabakh Armenians who viewed it as legitimizing Azerbaijani rule.
However, on September 9, the authorities in Stepanakert agreed to accept Russian aid through the Aghdam road in exchange for Azerbaijan restoring the import of humanitarian goods from Armenia via the Lachin road through the Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Alas, the aid-laden truck was halted in the Azerbaijani town of Barda, about 50 kilometers from Aghdam, on the day after the agreement. It wasn't until two days later that the truck finally entered the region, carrying essentials like food, blankets, and hygiene and childcare products.
Yet, despite the delivery, Azerbaijan remains unmoved on its decision to keep the Lachin road closed. Dozens of aid-filled trucks despatched by Armenia and France languish on the Armenian side of the border, waiting across from the Lachin checkpoint that Azerbaijan set up in April.
Statements by Hikmet Hajiyev, the Azerbaijani president's top foreign policy advisor, indicate that Baku does not consider the one-off aid delivery as the opening of the Aghdam road and thus does not deem its conditions to have been met. Hajiyev expressed his sentiments on various social media platforms, urging international partners to pressurize Armenia to end its "destructive policy."
Meanwhile, the decision to accept the aid delivery via Azerbaijan came just hours after a new de facto president, Samvel Shahramanyan, assumed office in Nagorno-Karabakh. He replaced Arayik Harutyunan, who resigned eight days earlier. This appointment was denounced as illegitimate by several countries and organizations, including Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, Pakistan, Britain, Moldova, Romania, Uzbekistan, and the EU. Despite this international skepticism, the EU did acknowledge the importance for the Karabakh Armenians to consolidate around a de facto leadership capable of engaging in productive discussions with Baku.
Insights:- Azerbaijan's control over the Lachin corridor is a strategic political move, complexly influencing its relations with Armenia, the EU, and other nations.- Azerbaijan's refusal to fully open the Lachin road may stem from concerns over territorial integrity, recent diplomatic developments, ongoing peace talks, and efforts to use the corridor as leverage in negotiations.- The recent aid delivery by Azerbaijan should be seen as a one-off humanitarian gesture rather than a shift in Azerbaijan's broader strategic and political agenda.- International pressure on Armenia to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and open the Lachin corridor remains crucial, with various countries and organizations expressing concern over the ongoing tensions.- The leadership change in Nagorno-Karabakh signals a new chapter in the regional dynamics, with external powers continually watching and engaging with the de facto authorities.
- The recent news about the delivery of humanitarian aid by Azerbaijan to Nagorno-Karabakh, despite the ongoing political conflict, demonstrates a significant development in the region's general news and war-and-conflicts arena.
- The politics surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh region is complex, as shown by the disagreement between Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities over the import of humanitarian goods and the control of the Lachin corridor, which also has implications for relations with the EU and other nations.
- The delivery of food, blankets, and hygiene products to Nagorno-Karabakh by a Russian Red Cross truck is a crucial instance of politics intertwining with issues of basic necessities, highlighting the severity of the conflict's impact on civilians.
