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MP Mr. George Loucaides participated in a debate at the Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe onensuring free and safe movement through the Lachin Corridor
In the context of the work of the 3rd part of the 2023 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), MP Mr. George Loucaides, participated yesterday on behalf of the Political Group of the United Left in a debate at the Plenary Session of the Assembly, on ensuring free and safe movement through the Lachin corridor.
Mr. Loucaides said that the ongoing blockade of the Lachin corridor puts the lives of thousands of people at immediate risk, forcing them to live in dire conditions, with severe shortages of basic goods and limited access to health care services and education. Under these circumstances, Mr. Loucaides stressed, the inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh, the majority of whom are of Armenian origin, are being forced to flee their region, with a visible risk of reaching conditions of ethnic cleansing. The Cypriot MP stressed the need for the Azerbaijani leadership to recognize the humanitarian consequences and serious human rights violations arising from the current situation and to allow the CSTO and other international organizations, such as the Red Cross, the UNHCR and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), to visit the region as soon as possible. He also stressed the importance of fully respecting the provisions of the trilateral ceasefire declaration between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia that entered into force in 2020, as well as Azerbaijan's compliance with the relevant decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice to restore freedom of movement in the Lachin corridor.
Mr. Loucaides noted that recent developments demonstrate the complex and long-standing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Nagorno Karabakh and stressed the need to find a peaceful and lasting solution. Until this is achieved, the Cypriot MP said, the parties should engage constructively in the ongoing negotiation process and adopt confidence-building measures and other initiatives, with the support of the Council of Europe, to promote cooperation on issues of mutual interest. The primary objective, however, in order to avoid a new humanitarian crisis, Mr. Loucaides underlined, is the immediate restoration of free and safe movement through the Lachin corridor and the de-escalation of tensions in the region.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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