Aliyev, Macron discuss Lachin corridor
BAKU. Aug 29 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron by phone on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the region, the opening of the Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin-Khankendi roads (Lachin road), the Azerbaijani presidential press service said.
After the opening of the Aghdam-Khankendi road, the Lachin-Khankendi road could be used in compliance with the rules of Azerbaijan's customs and border regime, Aliyev said in the phone call that took place at the initiative of the French side, as the press service said.
During the phone conversation with the French president, Aliyev accused Armenia and "the separatist regime set up by it in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan" of intentionally putting up artificial obstacles to the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road. Armenia and the separatist regime have abandoned the initial agreements on the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road for the transportation of supplies mediated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, he said. Additionally, the Armenian leadership, for the purpose of political speculation, brought supplies to the state border without any agreement with Azerbaijan, saying that they were intended for humanitarian purposes, he said.
Azerbaijan invited representatives of the Armenian population of Karabakh to Baku and other Azerbaijani cities to discuss reintegration, but they declined this offer and purposefully tried to present the situation as humanitarian tension, Aliyev also said in his conversation with Macron.
A convoy has been sent by the Red Crescent Society of Azerbaijan to deliver food supplies to this district on Tuesday, he said.
In turn, Macron said that France stands ready to contribute to the stabilization of the situation and alleviating the current tension, and offered to pursue contacts between the relevant bodies of France and Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani presidential press service said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Macron discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan by phone.
"They touched on the current situation in the region. Prime Minister Pashinyan pointed to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh caused by the illegal blocking of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, and affirmed the need to take steps towards its end and resolution," the Armenian government's press service said.
Pashinyan and Macron noted the importance of consistent efforts to ensure stability and peace in the region, the press service said.
The previous day, Macron announced his plan for a "diplomatic initiative" amid the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict to unblock the Lachin corridor.
"Later this week, I will have an opportunity to talk to [Armenian] Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev. We will demand full compliance with [the conditions regulating the use of] the Lachin humanitarian corridor, and we will again undertake a diplomatic initiative in this area at the international level in order to step up pressure," Macron told a conference of French ambassadors on August 28.
The Stepanakert (Khankendi) - Goris highway (the Lachin corridor controlled by Russian peacekeepers) was blocked by the Azerbaijani side on December 12, 2022. On April 23, 2023, Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint on the Lachin road. This is the only road linking Armenia and unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian authorities have repeatedly stated the need to unblock the Lachin corridor.