Artsakh Human Rights Defender Gegam Stepanyan, in an interview with the French daily Ouest France, questioned why the international community hasn’t imposed sanctions on Azerbaijan for its closure of the Lachin Corridor.

“Human rights should be the priority, but they are subject to the political and economic interests of states. The European Union has concluded a gas agreement with Azerbaijan, which invaded Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020. In the case of Ukraine, the international community has imposed sanctions on Russia, why aren't they doing the same in Azerbaijan?” Stepanyan asked.

Stepanyan said the resulting humanitarian crisis is getting worse daily with medicine and foodstuffs in short supply.

“Goods arriving via the Red Cross are very limited. If the road remains blocked, there will be malnutrition and starvation. The lives of 120,000 people are threatened,” Stepanyan said.

He called on the international community to recognize Artsakh’s right to self-determination and its independence because Azerbaijan wants to ethnically cleanse Nagorno Karabakh of its Armenian population.