Speaker doesn’t rule out online discussion between lawmakers from Armenia and Artsakh

• 01.16.2023, 13:14
•  World,  Armenia,  NKR

Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan doesn’t rule out the possibility of holding an online discussion between Members of Parliament of Armenia and Artsakh, the Inter-Parliamentary Commission of Armenia and Artsakh amid the ongoing blockade.

Member of Parliament Artsvik Minasyan asked the Speaker whether or not a meeting is expected, given the fact that Simonyan is the Chairman of the Armenia-Artsakh Inter-Parliamentary Commission.

Simonyan said that a meeting of the commission was planned earlier on September 19th in 2022 but was delayed because of the September 13-14 Azeri aggression. “Envisaging something like that in the current situation is a bit difficult. And at this moment we don’t have any such discussion with our colleagues of Artsakh,” the Speaker told Minasyan.

Minasyan responded by saying that an inter-parliamentary agreement exists and by and large it has been recognized by the international actors who’ve accepted that Armenia is also committed in terms of ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh. “And perhaps this is the chance to attempt to create the foundation for traveling from Yerevan to Artsakh or at least holding an online discussion,” he said.

The Speaker said he doesn’t imagine how the offer on traveling to Artsakh can be realized in conditions of a blockade. “While the online meeting can be discussed. If our colleagues in Artsakh also see that opportunity, why not,” Simonyan said.

Azerbaijan is keeping the Lachin Corridor blocked since December 12, 2022. The corridor is Nagorno Karabakh’s(Artsakh) only road to Armenia and the rest of the world. The blockade has caused an ongoing humanitarian crisis with widespread shortages of essential supplies such as food and medicine. Furthermore, on January 9 the electricity transmission line supplying energy from Armenia to Artsakh was damaged in the area controlled by Azerbaijan. Since then, Azerbaijan has been barring repair crews from accessing the site. On January 12, an internet blackout was reported in Artsakh. The internet cable was damaged in the area where the fake eco-activists are blocking the corridor. A day later, as a result of negotiations conducted by Russian peacekeepers, repair crews were allowed to access the site and internet was restored.