I am deeply concerned at reports of the ongoing obstruction of the Lachin corridor since 12 December, and the impact on ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh.
In a ruling on 21 December, the European Court of Human Rights called on the government of Azerbaijan to take all measures within its jurisdiction to ensure safe passage through the Lachin Corridor of seriously ill persons in need of medical treatment in Armenia, and others who were stranded on the road without shelter or means of subsistence.
At a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 18 January, Ireland affirmed our support for the work of the Court, as well as calls for urgent dialogue towards resolution of this issue.
Ireland also calls on all parties to facilitate access for all relevant actors in order to fully determine the facts on the ground. This is made more urgent by the fact that the Court has not been able to determine the extent to which Azerbaijan's government are in control of the situation in the Lachin corridor.
Ireland also supports increased EU engagement in the South Caucasus, to promote greater security and stability in the region. At the 23 January meeting of EU Foreign Ministers, I supported a Council Decision establishing a civilian Common Security and Defence Policy mission in Armenia. The Mission will have an initial duration of two years, and its objective will be to contribute to decreasing the number of incidents in conflict-affected and border areas in Armenia, to reduce the level of risk for the population living in such areas and thereby to contribute to the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the ground.
During our tenure on the United Nations Security Council, which ended in December, Ireland spoke several times in favour of a peaceful resolution of the disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
My officials have also expressed Ireland’s views on events in Nagorno Karabakh and elsewhere in the South Caucasus in bilateral meetings with representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments.
