What makes the Lachin Corridor the focal point of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia?

Recent allegations by France and the European Union that Azerbaijan has blockaded Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan, has put the spotlight on the Lachin Corridor.

The corridor, a mountainous road that passes through Azerbaijan, connecting the enclave of Karabakh with Azerbaijan’s neighbour Armenia, was designated a “humanitarian corridor” by the United Nations (UN) since December 2022, when Russia brokered an armistice to end the second Karabakh War.

In the 2020 war that lasted 44 days, Azerbaijan liberated the Lachin region, along with eight other contiguous regions including Karabakh, from 28 years of occupation by Armenia.

Recent escalations, though, have led to accusations by Armenia and the West, which the Azerbaijani authorities claim are baseless.

Illegal mining by Armenia

On December 12, 2022, tensions escalated between Azerbaijan and Armenia after Azerbaijani environmentalists and volunteers organised a protest regarding the Lachin road, chanting against the illegal exploitation of natural mineral resources by Armenia in the Karabakh region, and using the Corridor to transport these to Armenia.

The only access to these mineral resources — especially the Kyzylbulag gold mine and Demirli copper-molybdenum mine — is possible via the Lachin road, which the protesters demanded requires constant monitoring.

A day before the protests began, Azerbaijan sent a diplomatic note to Russia, expressing its concerns over the illegal exploitation of mineral deposits in the region.

Armenia claims the road has been closed down due to these protests, and describes the effect on Karabakh as a "humanitarian crisis."

Azerbaijan dismisses these claims, saying vehicles carrying humanitarian aid belonging to the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeeping contingent continue to pass through the Corridor, as they have been doing since the implementation of the Tripartite Declaration signed between Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia after the 2020 war.

Checkpoint to monitor illegal weapons supply

But that is not all. According to a statement of Azerbaijan’s mission to NATO, more than 2,700 landmines of Armenian origin were detected in the region at the time, and had been transported by Armenia through the corridor.

Azerbaijan also says that Armenia is illegally supplying weapons and manpower to Armenian separatists using the corridor. It says these military supplies are meant for the purpose of constructing military infrastructure and arming Armenian separatists in Karabakh.

Taking note of these security threats, Azerbaijan on April 23 established a checkpoint on the corridor, to eliminate the passage of separatists and weapons, and to monitor all transfers through the corridor, barring humanitarian aid and civilians.

The move was supported by Türkiye on the grounds that it is Azerbaijan’s sovereign right, and important for its territorial integrity. Under the deal brokered by Russia, once the checkpoint was built, Azerbaijan guaranteed the use of the corridor by Armenian civilians living in Karabakh, while regulating the passage of vehicles and cargo.

Temporary suspension of movement

That ended on July 11, when Azerbaijan temporarily suspended all movement on the corridor, after a consignment of mobile phones smuggled from Armenia to Karabakh in Red Cross vehicles was caught.

Azerbaijan declared that it would henceforth also monitor humanitarian aid agencies to prevent the transfer of unauthorised goods using the latter’s vehicles. It led to the current round of tensions, with France joining Armenia in claiming there is a humanitarian crisis in Karabakh as a result of the “blockade” of the Lachin Corridor.

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry has rejected the allegation that the corridor had been “blockaded”.

“It is absurd to portray as a ‘blockade’, the Azerbaijani activity on the Lachin border checkpoint, which has been established in accordance with our obligation to guarantee the safety of citizens, vehicles and cargo on the Lachin road, as well as to prevent the misuse of the Lachin road by Armenia for military and illegal economic purposes,” the ministry said.

Azerbaijani and Turkish authorities have both expressed the need for Armenia and Azerbaijan to conclude the ongoing peace talks between them as soon as possible, saying the south Caucasus region — which is rich in natural resources — is strategically important to the former and any violation of the region threatens its sovereignty.

Hence, Azerbaijan insists that the monitoring of flows and transport through the Zangezur and Lachin corridors is important for its territorial integrity.