YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARTSAKHPRESS. Armenian Member of Parliament Hasmik Hakobyan (Civil Contract faction) criticized the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) for its inaction over the occupation of sovereign territories of Armenia – a CSTO member – by Azerbaijan.
Hakobyan delivered remarks at the meeting of parliamentary delegations of CSTO member states during the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Bahrain.
“In May and November 2021, as well as in September last year, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military aggression against the Republic of Armenia which resulted in over 150 square kilometers of sovereign territories of Armenia being occupied. In this situation the military and political support from CSTO partners was important for Armenia. And we regret that our organization, the CSTO, still doesn’t have a clear political assessment that an attack has taken place on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, and that Azerbaijan has occupied territories of a CSTO member country,” Hakobyan said in her speech.
Speaking about the humanitarian crisis and security-related issues in Nagorno Karabakh, Hakobyan underscored that Azerbaijan is not complying with the International Court of Justice February 22 ruling to open the Lachin corridor – the only road linking Nagorno Karabakh to the outside world.
“For three months, along with the blockade of Lachin corridor and creation of a humanitarian disaster, Azerbaijan continues to terrorize the indigenous Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh. The Azerbaijani military is regularly violating the ceasefire. Recently they opened fire on a peaceful civilian who was farming. And on March 5, as a result of a sabotage ambush committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, three police officers of the Nagorno Karabakh police were killed and one was injured,” the legislator said.
Hakobyan called on the parliamentarians to condemn Azerbaijan’s use of force, as well as provocative manifestations of a large-scale military attack.
The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.
