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Trips from Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to Armenia will be allowed only in case of emergencies and with the permission of Russian peacekeepers from now on, Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan said.

“Since Azerbaijan’s blockade of the only road linking Artsakh to Armenia, the Artsakh Armenians have been deprived of the opportunity to travel to Armenia from Artsakh for a long time,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Given the constant problems in people's lives, including the death of a relative in Armenia, funeral, severe illness of a family member in Armenia in case of separated families, surgery and others, as well as the growth of tensions, the Russian peacekeeping forces recently began transporting those facing such issues from Artsakh to Armenia regularly.

“In order to keep the process under control and protect citizens from possible Azerbaijani provocations on the blocked road section, from now on it will be possible to travel from Artsakh to Armenia only in case of emergencies, naturally, with the help of Russian peacekeepers, exclusively by applying in advance to the Center for Cooperation with the Russian peacekeeping contingent and with its permission,” the state minister said.

As for the people with health issues who require medical care, he said their transfer to Armenia will be organized through the Artsakh office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Also, Nersisyan denied reports of massive evacuations or transfer of the people from Artsakh to Armenia as false.

“These reports are yet another manifestation of Azerbaijan’s information attacks,” he added.