The Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs today accused Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev of distorting the facts concerning the ongoing closure of the Lachin Corridor during remarks he made at the Munich Security Conference on February 18.

The ministry says Aliyev lied when he said that 2,500 International Red Cross vehicles have traveled the roadway between Artsakh and Armenia since a group of Azerbaijanis, posing as eco-activists blocked a section of the highway in December.

“The fact that many citizens of the Republic of Artsakh cannot return to Artsakh and that hundreds of divided families cannot be reunited, is further proof of the existence of the blockade by Azerbaijan,” the ministry’s statement reads.

The ministry writes that free movement through the Lachin Corridor must be fully restored in accordance with the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, without any preconditions.

We emphasize again that the illegal use of force and the threat of force by Azerbaijan cannot be a starting point for the establishment of peace, stability and security," the statement reads.