“There have not been more favourable conditions for war for the Azerbaijani side during the past thirty years than today”, referring to the situation at the “frontline” between Armenia and Nakhichevan, said the former Special Envoy of Armenian President, the former head of the Armenian National Security Service, David Shahnazaryan, at the “Armenian Institute for International and Security Affairs”. He asked the Spokesman for the Armenian Defense Ministry, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, about the new positions of the Azerbaijani side in Nakhichevan. Artsrun Hovhannisyan explained: “The Azerbaijani side has set these positions in the area under its control: they are trying to build roads for some others, but those are under serious threat. They are unable to build roads for those positions now. Some positions will “melt” with the first snow. Even the very first attempt to dig for strengthening the position has been neutralized, and I have published the relevant video. Both sides are trying to make advancement in their positions”.
Davit Shahnazaryan asked why that advancement has been allowed: “Nakhichevan’s factor is so important today that we should ignore all political factors and not allow such a thing”. Artsrun Hovhannisyan said he could not answer the question: it is not public information: “Advancement does not mean that they have entered a territory at the expense of which we have lost some control”. Shahnazaryan concluded: “No shots were made in the direction of Zangakatun before. How should we understand the situation now? Why the positional advancement of Azerbaijan has not been prevented?”.
Once more Artsrun Hovhannisyan stressed that not every information is public, and added: “The conditions of the territory is such that the positions are made based on “mountaineering” principles. It is not right to blame someone for that. If we think that way, then our soldiers must be shot for the crawling advancements of the Azerbaijani forces. The situation varies in Nakhichevan: both of the sides work with weapons and spades”.
Luiza SUKIASYAN
