Joly 'concerned' as Azerbaijan escalates Nagorno-Karabakh dispute with Armenia

OTTAWA -

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says she's "deeply concerned" about Azerbaijan escalating a long-running dispute with Armenia over a breakaway province by blocking its main access road.

Tensions between the two have spiralled in recent months since the Azerbaijan restricted access to the road that connects Armenia with the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The area is mostly populated by ethnic Armenians, but is internationally recognized as being part of Azerbaijan.

In January, the House foreign-affairs committee heard that Azerbaijan had limited access along the only road into the territory, known as the Lachin corridor, although medical services were still granted access.

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In her first statement this year about the conflict, Joly says a new checkpoint Azerbaijan installed along the road "clearly undermines the peace process and stability throughout the region."

Canada says both countries need to keep talking and stick with the peace process, which aims to stop recurring clashes that have emerged in recent years.

"We call on Azerbaijan authorities to reopen the Lachin corridor. It must remain open and unimpeded to allow for the freedom of movement of people and goods," reads Joly's Tuesday morning statement.

Last December, the road was blocked by groups of Azeribaijanis who insisted they were independent environmental activists opposed to mining. The Azerbaijan government claims it has no ties to the groups, but others have disputed that assertion.

In February, the International Court of Justice ordered the protests to be cleared so as to allow for humanitarian access.

But on Sunday, the Azerbaijan government said it had installed a "border checkpoint" on the road, which it claims Armenia is using to station soldiers and weapons inside the breakaway region.

Both countries are accusing each other of violating the pact that ended fierce fighting between the two in 2020.

Armenia's defence ministry said Sunday that one of its soldiers was killed by an Azerbaijani sniper near the border, but Azerbaijan denied the claim and separately reported that its soldiers had come under fire from Armenia in another part of the border area.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2023.

With files from The Associated Press