In a “provisional measure” requested by Yerevan, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) acknowledged that the land link was “disrupted” by Azerbaijani protesters more than two months ago. It said Baku should “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”
The court based in The Hague pointed out that a Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh commits Azerbaijan to guaranteeing safe passage through the corridor.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Thursday described the injunction as “extremely important.” He said that the ICJ “obligated Azerbaijan to open the corridor” and that Baku must at least tell the Azerbaijani government-backed protesters to stop blocking the road. Failure to do so “could and should lead to concrete international consequences,” added Pashinian.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry responded by accusing Pashinian of misrepresenting the ICJ decision. It said the court did not conclude that the blockade was organized by Azerbaijan’s government.
A ministry statement said that Baku is interested in a “transparent” functioning of the Lachin corridor and wants to set up a permanent Azerbaijani checkpoint there for this reason.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan rejected on Wednesday the idea of such a checkpoint which Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed with Pashinian at their February 18 meeting in Munich. He said it runs counter to the terms of the 2020 truce accord.
The ICJ issued the order during its ongoing hearings on lawsuits filed by Armenia and Azerbaijan against each other. Analysts believe that the court lacks real means of enforcing its decisions.