Lithuania's Landsbergis voices concern over Lachin Corridor closure to Armenian formin

VILNIUS – Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis expressed concern about the humanitarian crisis caused by the blockade of the Lachin Corridor during his recent meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan.

"Spoke with @AraratMirzoyan, expressed concern about the dire humanitarian consequences of the blocking of the Lachin corridor. Crucial to ensure unimpeded movement as ordered by ICJ. Reiterated firm belief in absolute necessity of working towards comprehensive & lasting peace," Landsbergis posted on X on Wednesday.

Nagorno-Karabakh, where the Lachin Corridor is located, is at the center of a decades-long territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The two fought two wars over this mountainous, were Armenian predominantly live, in the 1990s and in 2020.

In July, tensions were heightened when Azerbaijan temporarily closed the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia as the sparked concerns about the humanitarian crisis in the region suffering from food, medicine and energy shortages.

In late July, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said there's a strong possibility of a new war with Azerbaijan, if the South Caucasus countries failed to reach a peace agreement.

Armenia relinquished territories it had controlled for decades in the fall of 2020, as part of a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement, and Moscow sent peacekeepers to the Lachin Corridor to ensure free movement between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.