Page 8 - FSUOGM Week 05 2023

FSUOGM PIPELINES & TRANSPORT FSUOGM

Azerbaijan cut off the gas supply

to Nagorno-Karabakh again

AZERBAIJAN AZERBAIJAN again cut off Armenia’s natural pay each of them AMD68000 ($170) in com-
gas supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh on February pensation. In addition, unemployed parents of
Azerbaijan is putting 6, nearly two months after effectively blocking children are to receive AMD40000 per child.
further economic the sole road connecting the Armenian-popu- “If only one of the parents doesn’t work, then
pressure on the lated region to the outside world. the compensation would be for AMD20000,”
Armenian-populated The authorities in Stepanakert said that the said Armen Mangasaryan, the social security
region. flow of gas to Karabakh from a pipeline passing minister.
through Azerbaijani-controlled territory was Only Russian peacekeepers and the Inter-
blocked for the fifth time since the start of the national Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
road blockade on December 12. pass through the Lachin corridor. The ICRC
Following the previous disruption reported has evacuated critically ill patients from Kara-
on January 18, the authorities suspended classes bakh and transported several dozen Karabakh
in Karabakh’s schools and colleges, saying class- children stranded in Armenia back to their
rooms cannot be heated without gas and elec- families.
tricity. The schools were reopened on January 30 In recent days, the Russian peacekeepers have
after the gas supply was partially restored. Some shipped some foodstuffs from Armenia to Kara-
use heaters that require wood burning. bakh, temporarily alleviating the food shortages.
Armenia’s electricity supplies to Karabakh Stepanakert residents say they can now buy
were similarly blocked by Baku on January 10, limited amounts of some fruits and vegetables,
leading to daily power cuts. The local power grid sausage in addition to sunflower oil, sugar,
operator says its specialists have still not been macaroni, rice and buckwheat rationed by the
allowed to repair an Azerbaijani-controlled sec- authorities.
tion of the high-voltage transmission line sup- Armenia has condemned the blockade as a
plying the electricity. That line passes through gross violation of the Russian-brokered agree-
territory under Azeri control. ment that stopped the 2020 war in Karabakh.
The energy crisis has compounded food Russia, the United States and the European
shortages, medicine and other essential items. n Union have continually urged Azerbaijan
Much of the economic activity in Karabakh to reopen the corridor. US Secretary of State
has also been disrupted. More than 5000 of its Antony Blinken telephoned Aliyev for that pur-
estimated 120000 residents have lost their jobs pose late last month. Aliyev again defended the
because of the blockade, according to the Kara- Azerbaijanis blocking the Lachin corridor and
bakh government. demanding that Baku be given access to “illegal”
The government decided at the weekend to copper mines in Karabakh. ™

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 06 07•February•2023