Azerbaijan accuses Red Cross of smuggling: Lachin road completely closed
Azerbaijan accuses Red Cross of smuggling
The State Border Service of Azerbaijan has alleged smuggling on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia by the International Committee of the Red Cross. A criminal case has been initiated and traffic along the Lachin road has been completely suspended.
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What happened?
This morning Azerbaijani media published a statement by the State Border Service of the country:
“Since the beginning of the operation of the Lachin border checkpoint on the state border with the Republic of Armenia, proper conditions have been created for the passage of vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) across the state border. They were allowed to cross the state border after passing the border and customs control in the appropriate order.
However, over the past period, employees of the State Border Service have identified repeated attempts to smuggle various types of smuggling illegally in vehicles belonging to the ICRC. Thus:
- On 07/01/2023, at about 16:41, in the cabin of a Renault vehicle with a license plate number 35VX480, which entered Azerbaijan from Armenia, driven by an Armenian citizen Garik Artunyan (passport: AT0573343, date of birth: 06/17/1976), border guards were found and confiscated 15 undeclared mobile phones hidden among hand luggage.
- On 07/03/2023, at about 15:52, in the cabin of a UAZ vehicle with license plate number 768UU22 that entered Azerbaijan from Armenia, driven by an Armenian citizen Grigoryan Vrezh (passport: AU040291, date of birth: 04/12/1977), border guards were found and confiscated 115 undeclared mobile phone screens, 10 mobile phone circuit boards, 120 mobile phone power supplies, 1 screen adhesive hidden among hand luggage.
- On 07/05/2023, at about 16:10, in the cabin of an Iveco cargo vehicle with a license plate 711FF11, which entered Azerbaijan from Armenia, driven by an Armenian citizen Harutyunyan Sasun (passport: AU0219416, date of birth: 04/26/1981), 848 17 packs of cigarettes, as well as 320 liters of gasoline hidden in a spare fuel tank.
- On 07/05/2023, at about 16:54, 125 packs of 5 types of cigarettes, and in the spare fuel tank 1000 liters of gasoline.
Despite the fact that a warning was issued through the official channels of the ICRC, the illegal acts were repeated, and the necessary steps to stop them were not taken.
The use of ICRC-owned and medical evacuation vehicles for smuggling is not only a gross violation of the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but also an abuse of our country’s trust in the ICRC, which is a humanitarian organization.
In connection with the above facts, a criminal case has been initiated under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and until the completion of the necessary investigative measures, travel through the Lachin checkpoint of the state border has been temporarily suspended.
All the facts of smuggling are documented on the spot through operational shooting,” the report says.
Expert comment
According to political observer Gadzhi Namazov, the accusations against the international humanitarian organization look quite serious:
“Perhaps the Red Cross itself did not about the smuggling, and here the responsibility will be borne by the drivers of the cars of this organization. This is the most likely outcome of the ongoing investigation.
As for the closure of the Lachin road, everything is coming to a logical conclusion.
At the beginning of last week, the head of the separatist regime in Khankendi in a categorical tone demanded that Moscow explain what is happening around the part of Karabakh where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed. There was no answer, moreover, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry publicly stated that she did not know about such a position as “president of Artsakh.”
The separatists promised to wait until the end of last week. But yesterday they did not receive any statement. The trick didn’t work. Yes, and it is impossible to expect any effective steps from the separatists now, because they are well aware of the hopelessness of their situation.
The geopolitical changes that have taken place in recent days are also interesting. Serious tension has arisen in relations between Turkey and Russia, which sooner or later will inevitably affect Azerbaijan’s actions in Karabakh.
But even without this, the time limit allotted by official Baku for the separatist regime is coming to an end. We must decide whether to surrender and hope for the amnesty promised by Ilham Aliyev, or resist and provoke the Azerbaijani army into a counter-terrorist operation.”
