BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 11. Since the day of the establishment of the Lachin border checkpoint on the state border with Armenia, the necessary conditions have been created for the movement of vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) across the border, which passed through the checkpoint after appropriate border and customs control, Trend reports.
However, employees of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan have repeatedly stopped attempts to illegally transport various types of contraband through the checkpoint on vehicles belonging to the ICRC.
Although the ICRC was warned about this through official channels, the smuggling continued and no steps to prevent this were taken.
A criminal case was initiated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Until necessary investigative measures are carried out, the crossing through the Lachin border checkpoint at the state border remains suspended.
Azerbaijan, being committed to the values of humanism, has created conditions for comfortable movement of medical evacuation vehicles belonging to the ICRC across the state border. Meanwhile, the actions of the ICRC contradict its mission, abusing the humanism and trust of Azerbaijan. The ICRC also grossly violates the laws of Azerbaijan by such behavior.
It is possible that the ICRC has been engaged in such illegal activities for a long time.
Moreover, no one can guarantee that the ICRC does not supply ammunition from Armenia to the territory of Azerbaijan. These assumptions are quite likely, because among the representatives of the ICRC operating in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh, there are citizens of countries unfriendly to Azerbaijan, including persons who have an extremely negative attitude towards Azerbaijan.
The ICRC's negative attitude towards Azerbaijan during the second Karabakh war and the pro-Armenian position of the representatives of this organization are well-known. Taking this into account, it is impossible to allow the ICRC to continue to commit such illegal actions on the territory of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan will continue to take the necessary steps on its territory in accordance with the norms and principles of international law.
In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 Second Karabakh War), and as an adequate response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.