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Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Anna Evstigneeva, expressed concern over the blocking of the Lachin Corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to Armenia as she addressed the UN Security Council emergency meeting on Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday.

Noting that the corridor ensures a link between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, she said that it is under the control of a Russian peacekeeping contingent, which remains a guarantor of stability in the region and is carrying out its objectives effectively.

She recalled that both sides undertook commitments that must be strictly observed – including the obligation to ensure civilians do not face difficulties – and said that her country expects that a full transport corridor will be restored “in the very near future”.

“Over the course of recent days, the Russian Federation has organized regular contact with Armenia and Azerbaijan and, as a result, the supply of gas to Nagorno-Karabakh has been resumed, the Lachin Corridor has been partially opened to traffic and parameters have been agreed upon regarding Azerbaijan’s visits to ore deposits in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the deputy envoy said.

Stating her country’s expectation that all agreements arrived at with Moscow’s mediation will be implemented, she called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to exercise restraint, refrain from steps that increase tensions and abide by agreements reached in four trilateral statements between the leaders of the three countries. Full implementation of such provisions is the most-sustainable way to normalize relations between Baku and Yerevan, she added.