David Babayan: Azerbaijan does not miss the opportunity to tear something away from Armenia and Artsakh

ArmInfo. David Babayan:  Azerbaijan does not miss the opportunity to tear something away from Armenia and Artsakh. David Babayan, Artsakh's former Foreign Minister, advisor to the Artsakh Republic President, the President's Representative-at-Large., said this in an interview with an ArmInfo correspondent.

Thus, when asked to clarify the situation in the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor and the approach of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to the village of Tegh on the border with Armenia, Babayan stated that the situation here is quite delicate. "The fact that Azerbaijan is trying to use every opportunity to tear something away from Armenia and Artsakh, to prick, to harm, is no longer a secret to anyone," the politician noted.  At the same time, he recalled that, according to the Tripartite Statement of November 9, 2020, the parties had to agree and establish a new route within three years, an alternative to the existing road through the Berzdor corridor. Babayan added that the construction work on the Armenian side was a bit delayed.

"The Armenian side has completed construction work, and now a new Kornidzor-Hinshen road is being put into operation, which no longer passes through the surrendered Armenian village of Aghavno. Now it will be the main route along which the humanitarian cargo carried by the Russian peacekeepers and the representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross will move. Despite the commissioning of a new road, the situation does not change, Artsakh remains under siege, because the road near Shushi is still closed by the Azerbaijanis," added the former Foreign Minister of Artsakh.  According to him, taking advantage of the opportunity, the Azerbaijani side, according to its already traditional practice, also changed its positions.  "Nothing else should have been expected, knowing their essence. They will not miss the opportunity to tear at least 1 cm," he said.

In order to clarify whether it is possible to throw out the Azerbaijani armed forces from the heights they occupied in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 25, Babayan gave a negative answer, stressing that Russian peacekeepers are in place to prevent escalation.  It should be noted that at night it became known that the Azerbaijani armed forces approached the dense village of Teghin the Syunik region of Armenia, and blocked the previously existing entrance to the Berdzor corridor. The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Artsakh stated that strategic heights and roads were occupied by it.

It is noteworthy that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a government meeting, referring to the situation, in particular, said:  "there are reports in the Azerbaijani news feed that attempt to present what is happening as a" blockbuster ". This approach is at least unconstructive. I repeat, there have been no changes in Armenian positions, the only change is that we intend to protect the border area by border guard troops, not by units of the Ministry of Defense. We proposed the same to Azerbaijan." Argam Hovsepyan, the head of the Tegh community in the Goris region, said that the Azerbaijani army advanced 1 km into the depths at night and controls a large area of the community.