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Armenian MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem faction has renewed his concerns about the possible shutdown of the Lachin corridor linking Armenia to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) or the setup of an Azerbaijani checkpoint on it.

He says the Armenian ruling team has also talked about the deepening crisis around the corridor recently.

“I warned about such risks a few months ago, primarily given that after the handover of the villages of Berdzor, Aghavno and Sus [to Azerbaijan] and the change of the route connecting Armenia to Artsakh, the corridor has turned into a mere road,” the MP wrote on Facebook on Friday.

“The Armenian authorities agreed to a change of route without appropriate guarantees in place, ceding Armenian settlements [to Azerbaijan] as well.

“The situation has reached a critical point where even the Armenian authorities admit that the 5-kilometer-wide buffer zone within the Lachin corridor envisaged by the November 9 statement has been violated, as the Azerbaijanis have deployed combat positions in areas close to the road.

“Due to the policy of surrender pursued by the incumbent Armenian authorities, not only the Azerbaijani demands are expanding, but also are being fulfilled step by step, which is posing fresh threats to both Armenia and Artsakh,” Abrahamyan said.