A peaceful protest of Azerbaijani eco-activists, NGO representatives, and ordinary people, triggered by the deep-seated and genuine concern for the destruction and looting of the country’s natural resources by the Armenian separatists in concert with Russian generals under the veil of peacekeepers, has entered the third day.

The failure of the Russian military command in the region to properly address the rightful and legitimate concerns of the Azerbaijani protesters is the reason for the blockage of the road from Khankandi to Lachin.

The Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh are disloyal to the principles of peacekeeping as a whole and failed to distinguish the crux of the mandate from their desire for enrichment at the cost of the Azerbaijani people’s natural resources.

The picket on the Khankandi-Shusha section of the road is to call the Russian peacekeepers to responsibility and compel them to end the brazen plundering of Azerbaijani mineral resources by Armenian separatists and their foreign patrons.

In a similar move, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry blamed Armenia for unfulfilling the provisions of the tripartite statement.

We categorically reject the groundless statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry dated 13 December 2022, which accuses the Azerbaijani side of the current situation on the Susa-Lacin road and distorts the obligations under the agreements reached, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release.

The Foreign Ministry holds Armenia responsible for the failure to honor the articles of the November 10, 2020 peace deal.

On our part, it has been repeatedly stated, first, the provisions of the statement of 10 November 2020, signed by the leaders of the three countries, have not been implemented by Armenia, in particular, contrary to paragraph 4, the Armenian armed forces have not been withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan, contrary to paragraph 6, the Lachin road is used as military provocations, as well as for illegal economic activities, contrary to paragraph 9, obstacles are created to open all transport communications in the region.

As for the statements about the closure of the Lachin road and the Armenian residents allegedly living on its territory, faced with the threat of a humanitarian crisis, we note that the Lachin road was closed not by Azerbaijani protesters, but by the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation temporarily deployed on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is ready to meet the humanitarian needs of all Armenian residents living in our territories, and the claims of Armenia are groundless.

The protest action of Azerbaijani civil society representatives and environmental activists on the Susa-Lacin road is the result of the justified dissatisfaction of the Azerbaijani public with illegal economic activities, theft of natural resources, and environmental damage in the territory of Azerbaijan, where a contingent of Russian peacekeepers is temporarily stationed.

Read the original article on Asianet Pakistan Private Limited.

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