Macron asks the president of Azerbaijan to guarantee “free movement” in the Lachin corridor

Dec. 23 (EUROPA PRESS) –

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, during a telephone conversation to guarantee “free movement” in the Lachin corridor, which connects Armenia with the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabagh.

Macron conveyed to Aliyev this Friday his “deep concern” over the escalation of tensions in the region and urged Baku to respect the ceasefire agreement signed in 2020, as well as to guarantee “unimpeded” access for the humanitarian organizations to affected populations.

For his part, Aliyev has stated, according to Paris, his intention to respect “free movement” in the Lachín corridor, which is controlled by Russian soldiers deployed as peacekeeping forces under the agreement between the parties.

“The two presidents (Macron and Aliyev) agreed to continue, in collaboration with the interested parties, the negotiations to find a lasting political solution in the region,” the Élysée concluded in a statement.

The Azeri authorities decided to blockade the area and suspend the gas supply, according to Armenia, so the local authorities – who began to store fuel to avoid a major crisis in the face of the blockade – asked the population to use the car only when it was necessary, giving priority to ambulances and minimum services.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been involved in various confrontations in recent years over the control of Nagorno Karabagh, a territory with a majority Armenian population that has been the focus of conflict since it decided to separate in 1988 from the Azerbaijan region integrated into the Soviet Union.