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Gurgen Melkonyan, deputy of the Civil Contract party of the National Assembly, claimed in an interview to journalists that a section of the Goris-Kapan highway was surrendered to Azerbaijan by the Russians.
“They (Azeris, ed.) were stationed in that area with the Russians, and one day they blocked and surrendered it to the Azeris, just like the Lachin corridor,” stated the CC deputy.
How was the road section surrendered?
In December 2020, a video appeared on the Internet depicting soldiers of the Azerbaijani army on the Vorotan section of the Goris-Kapan M2 road.
Already on December 19, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia issued a statement declaring that the 21-km section of the highway runs through “disputable territory” in some places.
“Based on the agreement reached, Russian border guard forces are being deployed on the Goris-Davit Bek road section in order to ensure uninterrupted traffic. The security of the 21 km section of the Goris-Kapan highway, which runs through the disputed territory, will be ensured by Russian border guards. The border guard troops of Armenia will be stationed on the contact line on the side of Armenia, and the border guard troops of Azerbaijan on the side of Azerbaijan,” the statement reads.
The National Security Service of Armenia, in its turn, issued a statement, declaring that Armenian and Azerbaijani border guards, in cooperation with Russian partners, are deploying border guards on the road. The NSS also claimed that upon the completion of the process, “normal and safe organization of traffic will be fully ensured” in the road section, and in case of any issues, citizens passing through that part of the road were urged to call the NSS hotline.
Already in February 2021, a memorandum appears on the Internet, establishing the conditions for the safe use of the Goris – Davit Bek – Kapan – Chakaten highway.
In August 2021, during the introduction of the Government Program in the National Assembly, Pashinyan stated that an attempt is being made to make the impression that the Armenian government has done something behind the backs of the people.
“I wish to close this topic once and for all and draw your attention to the following. On December 19, I made a speech and spoke about the problems in the Goris-Kapan section. I said that we have a problem there, and in fact, I said later that, yes, we made a political decision, and I assume full responsibility for that decision,” Pashinyan said.
In September of the same year, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a about establishing a police checkpoint on the Goris-Kapan road.
A few days later, on September 15, the Prime Minister of Armenia recalled the Law On Administrative and Territorial Divisions of 2010 according to which the mentioned section of the highway belongs to Azerbaijan.
«Որևէ այդպիսի փաստաթղթով խնդրո առարկա հատվածը ՀՀ տարածքում չի գտնվում։ Եվ երբ որ մենք ասում ենք, որ երեկվա իրադարձությունների թատերաբեմը միանշանակ ՀՀ տարածք է, ու մեզ ասում են` որտեղից գիտեք, մենք ասում ենք` մենք դա գիտենք այնպես, ինչպես գիտենք, որ Էյվազլի – Չայզանի հատվածը ՀՀ տարածք չէ»,- հայտարարեց Փաշինյանը։
“With any such document, the part in question is not located in the RA territory. And when we say that the scene of yesterday’s events is definitely the territory of the Republic of Armenia, and they tell us: how do you know that, we say that we know it just as we know that the Eyvazli-Chaizan section is not the territory of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan stated.
Pashinyan also touched upon the topic at the government session on November 11, 2021, noting that the road section falls within the territory of Azerbaijan.
Thus, the Armenian side admitted at the highest level that the 21 km section of the Goris-Kapan road belongs to Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijani units and Russian border guard troops were stationed there as a result of a tripartite agreement.
At the same time, the Azerbaijani side did not observe the agreements reached regarding the conditions of use of the said section and established a customs chekpoint there, as a result of which it became impossible for the unimpeded traffic through the section of the road and the execution of the functions of the Russian and Armenian forces called to ensure it.
Thus, the claim of the CC deputy that the road section was surrendered by the Russian border guards is untrue.
Nane Manasyan
