Deal to open roads to Nagorno-Karabakh reached
STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Karabakh — In a significant development, authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have agreed to permit the entry of aid shipments from Baku-controlled territories for the first time in decades. This landmark decision comes in exchange for the reopening of road links to Armenia, a move that could potentially ease tensions in the region.
The agreement, initially reported by Armenia’s Armenpress state news agency and later confirmed by officials in Baku, partially addresses Azerbaijan’s longstanding demand to restore transport links between its government-held territory and Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to Armenpress, Nagorno-Karabakh authorities have decided to allow Russian goods to enter through the town of Askeran, located near the frontline with Azerbaijan. Simultaneously, an agreement has been reached to restore humanitarian shipments facilitated by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross along the Lachin Corridor, a vital route linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. The motivation behind this move is attributed to the “severe humanitarian problems” faced by the blockaded region.
Hikmet Hajiyev, a foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, confirmed that both routes would be reopened simultaneously, emphasizing that an Azerbaijani checkpoint on the road to Armenia would remain operational. He reiterated Baku’s long-standing stance that Nagorno-Karabakh authorities must dissolve and the people disarm.
For the past nine months, Azerbaijan has tightened its grip on the region by restricting access to Armenia through the Lachin corridor. This blockade resulted in shortages of essential supplies, including bread, with only urgent medical cases being allowed passage.
Azerbaijan had previously accused Armenia of exploiting the corridor for smuggling weapons and had claimed that Armenia rejected an offer to reopen the road concurrently with another route into Karabakh.
This apparent breakthrough comes at a time of heightened tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament recently elected a new president, a move denounced by Azerbaijan as illegal. Since then, Azerbaijan has been noticeably moving its armed forces to the border.
Both sides have also reported recent skirmishes along their borders.