ArmInfo.Badly needed food and medicines were delivered to Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday along two roads simultaneously, a step that could ease mounting tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had sent trucks via the Lachin corridor leading from Armenia into the mountain enclave from the southwest, and the Aghdam road from Azerbaijani- government held territory to the northeast.
"We are extremely relieved that many people reliant on humanitarian aid will finally receive much-needed support in the coming days," said Ariane Bauer, ICRC's regional director for Europe and Central Asia.
"People are queuing hours for bread. They urgently need sustained relief through regular humanitarian shipments," she said.
She said the deliveries had been made possible by agreement between the rival authorities.
Azerbaijan had virtually cut traffic from Armenia since December, alleging it was being used to smuggle arms. That triggered food shortages in Karabakh and aggravated tensions with Yerevan.
In a statement on Facebook, the Karabakh administration said around 23 tonnes of flour as well as medical and hygiene products had arrived in the region.
Monday's delivery fulfilled the other side of an agreement between Yerevan and Baku, but wider tensions remain.
Ariane Bauer, ICRC's regional director for Europe and Central Asia, said she hoped the consensus over road access would enable humanitarian convoys to resume "not just today but in the weeks to come, so that we can regularly get aid to those who need it".
"We are extremely relieved that many people reliant on humanitarian aid will finally receive much needed support in the coming days. Health structures are lacking medical supplies. People are queuing hours for bread. They urgently need sustained relief through regular humanitarian shipments. This consensus has allowed our teams to resume this life-saving work."
The ICRC said it has been in talks over the last weeks with decision-makers about options to get aid into the area via different routes, including both the Lachin Corridor and Aghdam road. Monday's operation included two trucks which simultaneously delivered goods via both the Lachin Corridor and Aghdam road.
"I hope that this consensus allows for our strictly humanitarian convoys to resume not just today but in the weeks to come so that we can regularly get aid to those who need it. Our aim is to reach those most in need of assistance in line with our fundamental principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence," Ms Bauer said.