Some 120,000 Nagorno-Karabakh residents cut off from gas supply - Armenian Foreign Ministry

YEREVAN. March 22 (Interfax) - The Armenian Foreign Ministry has demanded a reaction from the international community in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

"The supply of natural gas from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh was interrupted in the area of the city of Shushi in the territory controlled by Azerbaijan following what evidently was interference by the Azerbaijani side. About 120,000 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh have thus been cut off from the vital supply of gas amid an unprecedented snowfall and all-time record cold temperatures," the press service for the Armenian Foreign Ministry said.

Just a few days ago, Azerbaijan was not allowing repairs of the gas pipeline, which was damaged in unclear circumstances in the same area, for eight days, the ministry said.

"Therefore, in addition to its ceaseless efforts to put psychological pressure on the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and non-admission of international humanitarian organizations to Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan is deliberately disrupting the normal operations of vital infrastructure facilities in Nagorno-Karabakh which is obviously fraught with a humanitarian crisis," the Foreign Ministry said.

"The current situation demands that the international community give an urgent and clear response in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis and also demands the immediate and unimpeded involvement of international humanitarian organizations in Nagorno-Karabakh," it said.