Moscow (Daily Pakistan Online) Russia has said it is working hard to resolve the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Armenia with the Armenian-populated enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. . The mountain pass has been blocked across Azerbaijan since December 12, when protesters claiming to be environmental activists set up tents and blocked traffic. About 120,000 ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh depend on it for food, fuel and medicine supplies.
The standoff has sparked international concern, with US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken calling for the route to be reopened immediately, according to Reuters.
Russia is the largest power broker in the region and its peacekeeping forces are stationed along the Lachen Corridor. Their failure to reopen it is a disappointment for Armenia.
Armenia says the protests are organized by the Azerbaijani government to deliberately blockade Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan denied this, saying the workers were staging a legitimate protest against illegal mining activities. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 over Nagorno-Karabakh, the two countries have fought two wars. The region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians.
