Tatoyan Foundation: By ceding territories to Azerbaijan, head of government undermines Armenia`s security  and rights of those territories` population 

ArmInfo.The head of the Armenian government unilaterally cedes to Azerbaijan such  territories in the Tavush region that undermine the security and the rights of the population of  those territories. This statement was made by the Tatoyan Foundation, which is headed by ex-Ombudsman of Armenia Arman Tatoyan.

Earlier today, the government issued a statement about reaching an agreement with Azerbaijan on the  delimitation around the territories of four villages in the Tavush region. The press release posted on the  website of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that "At the initial stage of the delimitation process,  the Parties have preliminary agreed upon separate sections of the borderline immediately between the  settlements of Baghanis (Republic of Armenia) - Baghanis Ayrum (Republic of Azerbaijan), Voskepar  (Republic of Armenia) - Ashaghi Askipara (Republic of Azerbaijan), Kirants (Republic of Armenia) -  Kheyrimli (Republic of Azerbaijan) and Berkaber (Republic of Armenia) - Ghizilhajili (Republic of  Azerbaijan), in order to of bring them into compliance with the legally justified interrepublican border that  existed within the Soviet Union at the moment of its dissolution."

The Tatoyan Foundation believes the Commission on Delimitation and Border Security of the State Border  between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan does not have any authority to discuss  such issues. This is a commission designed to put a false legal veil on political decisions, and with its recent  statement it has created unmanageable major security problems for Armenia. The powers of this  commission, its leader or any member are not defined anywhere. All that is available is the decision of the  head of the government of Armenia dated May 23, 2023, which simply records the fact of the formation of  such a commission and its composition. There is no legal definition of what powers this commission has,  what issues it discusses, what decisions it makes. This means that the purpose of the government's  statement recently made on behalf of this commission is to cover this politically unacceptable process with  a false institutional-legal veil. What happened also fundamentally contradicts international requirements for  delimitation.

The Foundation also believes that the head of the RA government unilaterally cedes to Azerbaijan such  territories in the Tavush region, which undermine the security and rights of the population. Azerbaijani  armed forces are moving closer to people's homes and appearing on the roads. Claims that there are no  significant problems with roads and that alternative roads can be built are just an attempt to hide the real  problems arising for the safety of people and the country. The proposed alternative road to the village of  Kirants is unsafe and will be constantly monitored by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

The Foundation's statement also notes that Azerbaijan continues to keep under occupation the sovereign  territories of Armenia bordering the Tavush region of the Republic of Armenia. Meanwhile, the Armenian  government is carrying out a unilateral withdrawal of troops from areas of strategic importance, which  disrupts the lives of not only the border population, but also damages the security of the entire country.  Moreover, it is obvious that the Government specifically published such a map, which does not show the  problems associated with security and unilateral concessions.

Notably, the Armenian authorities explain their compliant policy by the need to reduce risks. Russian  Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also spoke on this issue, according to whom unilateral concessions by the  Armenian authorities make the borders of Armenia undefined.