Details added, first published at 09:11
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 11. Employees of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan have revealed repeated attempts to smuggle various items in vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through the Lachin checkpoint on the state border with Armenia, Trend reports.
Employees of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan have revealed repeated attempts to smuggle various types of items via vehicles belonging to the ICRC through the Lachin border checkpoint.
A total of 15 undeclared mobile phones hidden among hand luggage were found and seized by the border patrol in a Renault car, with the 35VX480 license plate driven by Armenian citizen Garik Artunyan, which entered Azerbaijan from Armenia, on July 1, 2023, at about 16:41 (GMT+4).
Also numerous spare mobile phone parts were found hidden among hand luggage by the border patrol in the cabin of UAZ vehicle with the 768UU22 license plate, driven by a citizen of Armenia Vrezh Grigoryan on July 3, 2023, at about 15:52 (GMT+4).
On July 5, 2023, at about 16:10 (GMT+4), 848 packs of cigarettes were found and seized from the cabin of an Iveco cargo vehicle with the 711FF11 license plate, driven by Armenian citizen Sasun Harutyunyan. The latter also tried to smuggle 320 liters of gasoline.
Meanwhile, on the same day (July 5), at about 16:54 (GMT+4), a total of 125 packs of cigarettes were found and smuggled in the cabin of a DAF cargo vehicle with the 37FF609 license plate driven by Armenian citizen Vakif Musaelyan, who also tried to smuggle 1000 liters of gasoline.
Although the ICRC was warned about this through official channels, the smuggling continued and no steps to prevent this were taken.
According to the State Border Service, the use of vehicles, belonging to the ICRC and carrying out medical evacuation, for smuggling is a gross violation of the laws of Azerbaijan, as well as an abuse of trust of Azerbaijan in the ICRC humanitarian organization. A criminal case was initiated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Until necessary investigative measures arec arried out, the crossing through the Lachin border checkpoint at the state border remains suspended.
All the facts of smuggling were documented.
In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war), and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 at 12:00 (GMT+4), the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road.