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Thousands of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) residents remain stranded in Armenia due to Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and non-compliance with the 2020 ceasefire agreement, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, he cited point 7 of the 9 November 2020 trilateral declaration which says: "Internally displaced persons and refugees shall return to Nagorno-Karabakh territory and surrounding regions under the supervision of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees."

“The non-fulfillment of this provision and other facts continuously prove that Azerbaijan's main goal is to displace the Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh through ethnic cleansing, be it through starvation, military operation or other measures. The information we have proves that Baku is continuously torpedoing the dialogue with Stepanakert by various means, trying to place the responsibility for that on Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan stated.

“The position of the Republic of Armenia remains the same. Issues related to the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh should be addressed through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue within the framework of the international mechanism. In this context, the implementation of point 7 of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020 is also important, which, I would like to emphasize, provides for the return of refugees and internally displaced persons not only to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, but also to adjacent regions. This means that not only the Armenians of Hadrut, a number of Martakert villages, a number of Martuni villages, but also Getashen, Martunashen, Shahumyan and other regions should have the opportunity to return to their homes with dignity and safety.

“At the same time, I want to emphasize the commitment of the Republic of Armenia to the peace agenda. I have to inform you that we have submitted to the Azerbaijani side our new proposals for a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the premier said.