The US reiterated its call to Azerbaijan to reopen the Lachin corridor, the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, which has been blocked by Baku recently.

During a press briefing in Washington on August 15, Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State, expressed Washington’s ongoing concern regarding the persistent closure of the Lachin corridor, particularly its inaccessibility for commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles.

“The halting of this kind of humanitarian traffic, in our opinion, worsens the humanitarian situation and undermines the efforts that have been in place to build confidence in the peace process. And so we urge the Government of Azerbaijan to restore free transit of commercial, humanitarian, and private vehicles through this corridor,” Vedant Patel said. 

He further mentioned that the United States anticipates that “further discussions” will unfold during an emergency session of the UN Security Council focused on Nagorno-Karabakh, convened at the request of Armenia. This meeting is scheduled to take place in New York on August 16.

When questioned about the US stance regarding the Lachin corridor during the UN Security Council meeting, the spokesperson said he would refrain from preemptively disclosing their position before the meeting.

He further elaborated: “But we have consistently emphasized and reiterated the fact that direct dialogue is essential to resolving this longstanding conflict, and we think that any engagements that ultimately bring peace and stability to the people of South Caucasus would be a good thing and a positive step forward.”