Tsarukyan on the Shaki incident: The threats looming over Armenia can only be countered through public solidarity

ArmInfo. The threats looming over Armenia can only be countered through public solidarity. This is stated in a message from Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan from Yerevan Kentron prison regarding the infiltration of an Azerbaijani serviceman into the village of Shaki in Armenia's Syunik region.

"I am confident that the incident in the village of Shaki has concerned all sensible people and left no one indifferent, regardless of who voted for whom or whether they participated in the elections at all. There are issues that have nothing to do with political preferences." "The tension and instability existing in the world and our region prove that the threats looming over our state can only be countered through public solidarity," the PAP leader said in a message published on Facebook.

He noted that people may have different approaches, different points of view, and diametrically opposed views on important issues, but, according to Tsarukyan, this should never become a cause for internal strife and division. The politician is confident that what happened in a small village gives cause for serious reflection. The PAP leader believes that this is not a problem for one village, but a problem for the entire Armenian state. "There is no separate problem for Syunik, Tavush, or Yerevan. We are all in the same boat, and the security of this boat is shared. We all understand that our region and Armenia are at a difficult juncture, and in the near future we will have to make difficult decisions. "The atmosphere within the country will significantly influence the quality of these decisions and their consequences," Tsarukyan is confident.

In this regard, he noted that internal solidarity is not a formal expression of mutual courtesy. "There must be different opinions and different perceptions. Internal solidarity is a feeling of being in the same boat, an awareness of shared prospects, a shared future, a shared present, and shared risks. This is a national potential for jointly finding solutions. The question is when will we finally fully realize this, and whether we are too late," the PAP leader concluded.

As a reminder, in early October 2026, Nasimi Musayev, a serviceman of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, was detained in Armenia. According to the Military Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan, he left his duty station without permission on September 26, 2026. On September 29, the State Security Service of Azerbaijan notified the National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia about a missing soldier and his possible border crossing. On October 1, 2026, at approximately 2:15 PM, in the village of Shaki (Syunik Region), a serviceman entered a residential building, opened fire, and wounded a 38-year-old local woman in the leg, also harming her children. She is currently undergoing several surgeries due to the severity of her injuries. On the same day, Armenian law enforcement detained Nasimi Musayev. An Armenian court ordered his pretrial detention for two months. The Investigative Committee of Armenia has opened a criminal case. He is charged with illegal border crossing, smuggling and illegal arms trafficking, violating the privacy of a home, and causing grievous bodily harm. Following the incident, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan dismissed Deputy Director of the National Security Service David Sanamyan.

On October 6, in an interview with Infocom, Pashinyan ruled out exchanging the Azerbaijani criminal for Armenian prisoners held in Baku. He stated that an agreement had been reached with the Azerbaijani side regarding the return of the soldiers who crossed the border. Pashinyan explained, "If an Armenian serviceman were to appear on Azerbaijani territory tomorrow, they would have no one to exchange him for." The Armenian prime minister also assured that the Azerbaijani serviceman would be held accountable in accordance with Armenian law.