YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARTSAKHPRESS. The humanitarian crisis resulting from the blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan continues and will continue as long as the International Court of Justice hasn’t urgently intervened, Armenia’s counsel at the world court Konstantinos Salonitis said during the International Court of Justice public hearing on Armenia’s request for provisional measures against Azerbaijan in the case of Armenia v. Azerbaijan (Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan) – Request for the indication of provisional measures).
Armenia requests the following provisional measures: Azerbaijan shall cease its orchestration and support of the alleged protests blocking uninterrupted free movement along the Lachin corridor in both directions, Azerbaijan shall ensure uninterrupted free movement of all persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions, and Azerbaijan shall immediately and fully restore and refrain from disrupting or impeding the provision of natural gas and other public utilities to Nagorno Karabakh.
Konstantinos Salonitis first spoke about irreparable prejudice in the present case.
He said that the court has the power to indicate provisional measures when irreparable prejudice would be caused to rights which are the subject to judicial proceedings, or when the disregard of such rights may entail irreparable consequences.
By requesting provisional measures Armenia seeks to protect the rights of the ethnic Armenians under the convention.
The counsel substantiated the use of provisional measures by the factor of urgency.
“The blockade must be lifted entirely. And unimpeded access to public services must be ensured so that the consequences for the victims of this cruel blockade are eliminated. This isn’t only Armenia’s conclusion, but also the conclusion of the international community,” he said.
Salonitis mentioned the numerous calls from the international community addressed to Azerbaijan to end the blockade.
“Azerbaijan brags openly about how it cannot be stopped. Not by international community and even not by the binding order of the court in Strasbourg [ECHR].”
