Thank you, Chair. Foreign Minister Mirzoyan, welcome back to the Permanent Council.
We remain deeply concerned about the ongoing disruptions to the Lachin corridor and the associated humanitarian consequences for the local population.
We support the International Court of Justice order of February 2023 for Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin corridor in both directions. The UK calls again on all parties to refrain from the politicisation of humanitarian aid. In order for the civilian population to be protected, it is crucially important for organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross to be able to continue to carry out their work in this region, where their operations provide access to essential goods and services, including life-saving medication and health care.
The UK has been clear that there is no military solution to this conflict and urges both sides to continue to engage in substantive negotiations towards a settlement. We recognise that any settlement should include provisions on protecting the rights of the local population in Nagorno-Karabakh. UK Ministers discussed this with Foreign Minister Bayramov during the recent UK-Azerbaijan strategic dialogue.
We are therefore encouraged by President Michel’s trilateral meeting on 15th July with President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan, and hope momentum will be maintained towards an historic peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.