The processes carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) through Azerbaijan’s Lachin border checkpoint must be transparent, political scientist Zaur Mammadov told News.Az.

According to the political scientist, neither the Russian peacekeeping contingent nor the ICRC should abuse the current situation around the Lachin border checkpoint.

 “The legislation of Azerbaijan envisages the same requirements for the country’s borders with Russia, Georgia, Iran and Türkiye, and it sets the same requirements for the country’s border with Armenia,” he said.

Mammadov noted that from the political point of view, Yerevan uses the issue related to the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region for its purposes.

“Separatists and certain groups are interested in further aggravating the situation around the Lachin border checkpoint. But the reality is that the Azerbaijani side is in full control of the issue,” he added.

Earlier, the State Border Service of Azerbaijan said that since the establishment of the Lachin border checkpoint on the border with Armenia, necessary conditions have been created for the passage of ICRC vehicles across the state border, subject to appropriate border and customs clearance. However, over the past period, employees of the State Border Service have repeatedly detected attempts to smuggle various types of goods in ICRC vehicles.

Although the ICRC was warned about this through official channels, the illegal actions continued and the necessary steps were not taken to prevent them.

A criminal case has been opened under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan in connection with the above-mentioned facts, and passage through the Lachin state border checkpoint has been temporarily suspended until necessary investigative measures have been completed.

News.Az