Azerbaijan Rejects Armenia’s Accusations Of Closing Lachin

Azerbaijan said on Wednesday it has rejected Armenia's accusations that it closed the Lachin corridor.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement; “As for the claims stating that the Lachin road was closed, and the Armenian residents living in the area are allegedly facing the threat of a humanitarian crisis.

"It should be noted that the Lachin road was closed not by Azerbaijani protesters, but by the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation.

“Azerbaijan is ready to facilitate the humanitarian needs of all Armenian residents living on its territories, and the claims of the Armenian side are baseless.”

Relations between both Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Clashes erupted in 2020 during the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.

However, the cease-fire has been broken several times since then.