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The humanitarian situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) blocked by Azerbaijan remains critical, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a cabinet meeting on Thursday.

"The crisis in the Lachin corridor, which began last week, has not yet been settled except for the restoration of gas supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan said. “The humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains critical as a result of Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Hundreds of families remain divided, finding themselves on different sides of the blockade. Nagorno-Karabakh is facing a shortage of a number of essential goods, including foodstuffs.”

The blockade began on December 12, when a group of Azerbaijanis posing as environmental activists stopped traffic on the Lachin Corridor, the sole road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, citing “illegal” mining operations in the area.

"The blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan is illegal and grossly violate its international obligations, particularly the trilateral statement of November 9,” the premier stressed.

“According to point 6 of the declaration, as I have repeatedly announced, the Lachin Corridor is under the control of the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the Republic of Azerbaijan is to guarantee the safe movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo through the Lachin Corridor. This provision is not being actually implemented today.

“De facto, it turns out that the peacekeeping troops of the Russian Federation also do not fulfill their obligation envisaged by the trilateral statement, that is, to keep the Lachin Corridor under control. Of course, this happens as a result of Azerbaijan's illegal actions, but this does not change the situation, because the main purpose of the presence of the Russian peacekeeping troops is to prevent such an illegality from happening and, in particular, to keep the Lachin Corridor under control,” he stated.