The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia welcomes the Order of the International Court of Justice of 6 July 2023, the complete text of which was communicated to the parties on 11 July 2023.

The Court unanimously reaffirmed its 22 February 2023 Order obligating Azerbaijan, pending the final decision in the case, in accordance with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination “to take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions”.

The Court unanimously confirmed with its 6 July 2023 legally binding Order that the 22 February 2023 Order “applies without limitation” to the checkpoint established by Azerbaijan and the existence and operation of the Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor plausibly constitutes racial discrimination. 

It is important to highlight that the Court considered that “the tenuous situation between the Parties confirms the need for effective implementation” of that Order, which was taken to prevent an imminent risk of irreparable harm to ethnic Armenians’ rights under the CERD and which has been and is still being intentionally disregarded by Azerbaijan.

Thus, the 6 July 2023 Order of the Court reaffirms Azerbaijan’s international legal obligation to take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions, and therefore to immediately cease the operation of its checkpoint, as it unquestionably impedes the rights under the CERD of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.

It can be stated that the 6 July 2023 Order of the Court once again proves that Azerbaijan’s assertions of its compliance with the Order of the Court of 22 February 2023 were false and manipulative.

We also call on other international actors, and the UN Security Council in particular, to take all steps to ensure the immediate and effective implementation of the Court’s Order by Azerbaijan.