Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) president Arayik Harutyunyan on Friday, September 1 submitted his resignation, amid a deepening humanitarian crisis caused by Azerbaijan’s blocking of the lachin corridor for the around nine months.

Harutyunyan earlier relieved State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan of his post, appointing the Secretary of the Security Council Samvel Shahramanyan in the position. The latter, Harutyunyan said, has been given “wide powers”.

Since December 12, 2022, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by Azerbaijan. Baku tightened the blockade on June 15, 2023, banning emergency relief supplies that were carried out by Russian peacekeepers and the International Committee of the Red Cross through the sole road connecting Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world. The move aggravated the shortages of food, medicine and other essential items experienced by the region’s population. On August 15, Karabakh Human Rights Defender’s office reported the first case of death from starvation.