The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, called on Azerbaijan to take steps to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to the people of Karabakh on Thursday 21 September at a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
“The local population urgently needs humanitarian assistance, and they also need guarantees that their rights and security will be respected. We, therefore, ask Azerbaijan to take concrete measures in this regard”, he stressed.
Mr Borrell called for unimpeded humanitarian access to be guaranteed to the civilian population in need, in particular through the full reopening of the Lachin corridor, which has been blocked for several months. “It is important that humanitarian actors can continue to operate and scale up their activities as needed in the current situation”, he added.
Stating that the EU and its Member States were ready to provide emergency humanitarian aid, Mr Borrell announced the mobilisation of €500,000 in humanitarian aid to help people affected by the escalation of hostilities. The aid will enable those affected to cover their basic needs through cash assistance, while providing them with shelter and psychosocial support. This emergency funding is in addition to the €1.17 million in humanitarian aid that the EU allocated in early 2023.
The head of European diplomacy also recalled that Azerbaijan was responsible for guaranteeing full respect for the rights and security of the Karabakh Armenians, and therefore called on it to engage in a comprehensive and transparent dialogue on this issue, including their right to live in their homes in dignity.
The High Representative also recalled that the EU fully supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and expects all actors to do the same. He called on Baku to reaffirm its unequivocal commitment to the territorial integrity of Armenia and agree to the delimitation of their bilateral border in line with the letter and spirit of the 1991 Almaty Declaration.
Calling for the resumption of negotiations between Yerevan and Baku on all outstanding issues with a view to concluding a peace treaty, Mr Borrell said that the EU remained committed to continuing to facilitate dialogue. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)