Artsakh Ombudsman: At the moment, it is urgent to save people from hunger

The Akna-Stepanakert road cannot be considered as an alternative to the Berdzor corridor. Human rights defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan has reminded that at the moment it is urgent to simply save people from hunger.

According to him, in the future it is impossible to imagine the preservation of the Armenian Artsakh without the full-fledged operation of the Berdzor corridor, at least according to the provisions of the joint statement of November 9, 2020.

“The one-time use of the Akna-Stepanakert road or its use for purely humanitarian purposes should never be interpreted as a concession by the people of Artsakh to their right to self-determination or their demands. On the contrary, we should use the fact that a country that artificially closed the only artery feeding Artsakh and forced us to take another step to save the lives of our people will never be able to talk about guarantees for the protection of the rights of Artsakh people,” Stepanyan said in an interview with Public Television.

He has noted that even in this difficult situation, when the priority of saving lives forces them to take such a step, Azerbaijan uses it to promote its political rhetoric.

Stepanyan has stressed that other roads cannot be an alternative to the Lachin corridor, recalling that the Lachin corridor is not intended for the transportation of humanitarian goods, but for the organization of normal life in the republic, the road of life of Artsakh.

“We must send a clear signal that we are not going to become a region that will depend on humanitarian supplies for life. It is unacceptable. To prevent this from happening, the Lachin corridor should operate without any restrictions,” Stepanyan added.