RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The “checkpoint” incidents cause reasonable concerns that Azerbaijan is openly planning to subject the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh to collective punishment

Today, on August 28, at the illegal checkpoint in the Lachin
corridor, residents of Nagorno-Karabakh Alen Sargsyan, Vahe Hovsepyan and Levon
Grigoryan were abducted by Azerbaijan’s law enforcement agencies. The
transportation was agreed in advance and was carried out accompanied by the
Russian peacekeeping forces, which, in accordance with point 6 of the
Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, were obliged to monitor the
uninterrupted connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh through the
Lachin corridor. These people were going to Armenia to continue their
studies/education. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia made a statement
on this.

“Azerbaijan’s step, which follows the abduction of
68-year-old Vagif Khachatryan on July 29, who was being transported to Armenia
for immediate medical assistance, accompanied by the International Committee of
the Red Cross, is a gross violation of the Trilateral Statement of November 9,
2020, legally binding Orders of the UN International Court of Justice and open
contempt for the unequivocal and targeted calls of the international community,
including voiced by members of the UN Security Council.

These incidents that took place under various false pretexts
cause reasonable concerns that Azerbaijan is openly planning to subject the
entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh to collective punishment, who during the
90s of the previous century and in 2020 faced the large-scale aggression
unleashed by Azerbaijan and had to defend their right to peaceful life in their
homeland,” reads the statement.

It is also noted that instead of supporting the steps to
establish peace and stability in the region, Azerbaijan has put all its efforts
into failing them.

“Prevention of mass atrocities with the use of all available
tools is the direct obligation of all actors who can have influence on the
situation and, in general, of the civilized world,” reads the statement.