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President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament, 

The European Union has been closely following developments around the Lachin corridor since the beginning of December 2022.  

In a statement issued on 13 December, the European Union called on the Azerbaijani authorities to ensure freedom and security of movement along the corridor, in line with commitments deriving from the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020.  

Restrictions to such freedom of movement are causing significant distress among the local population. The European Union is increasingly alarmed about the negative humanitarian impact resulting from the lack of food, medicine and other essential goods and medical services, in addition to regular disruptions to energy supplies and telecommunications.  

The European Union’s humanitarian funding for 2022 amounts to EUR 3.6 million that has been entirely given to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), being the only partner on the ground able to access Nagorno-Karabakh.  

The programme focuses on two areas [of] intervention: economic security, which includes programmes to provide conflict-affected people with material and financial support to help them meet their basic needs; [and] second, actions against weapon contamination, with programmes to ensure conflict-affected people are aware of the dangers posed by mines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) and how to safely behave around these. 

The current situation is not sustainable and creates tensions that run contrary to much-needed confidence-building efforts. The European Union reiterates that other concerns can and should be addressed through dialogue and consultations with the parties involved. It calls for a return to negotiations and for the mounting pressure on the civilian population to cease without further delay.  

The European Union stands ready to contribute to all efforts to build confidence and to address concerns through facilitation and dialogue. 

Thank you. 

Link to the video (starting from 23:00): https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-235667