The Red Cross: Badly needed food, medicine shipped to Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross says it shipped badly needed flour and medical supplies to an ethnic Armenian region within Azerbaijan suffering under a road blockade since late last year. The region, Nagorno-Karabakh, has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia since 1994 which marked the end of a separatist war. That war left Nagorno-Karabakh with only a single road connection to Armenia. Since December, Azerbaijan largely blocked the road amid allegations Armenia was using it for illicit weapons shipments and mineral extraction. The closure caused severe food shortages in Nagorno-Karabakh. On Monday, the ICRC said flour was shipped in via the road from Armenia and medical and hygiene supplies came in from Azerbaijan.