The head of the National Renaissance political party, Hayk Khanumyan, posted on his Facebook page calling upon residents to gather at the Russian base in the Armenavan neighborhood of Stepanakert.
Dozens of Artsakh residents from all over Artsakh gathered around the military base. They wanted to know the fate of the Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher villages.
After the meeting at the Russian base, Hayk Khanumyan was interviewed by Aravot Daily.
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“We received information from Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd that Azerbaijan attacked using artillery and captured the Hin Tagher village. Then, they moved towards Khtsaberd. We have wounded soldiers. The Russian peacekeepers went and brought the wounded soldiers out. However, they did not do anything else, which is why we called upon people to gather here and find out from Russian leadership how the ceasefire is going to be implemented if the peacekeeping forces are going to guarantee its implementation. The deputy commander assured that there are no clashes at the moment, which we also confirmed with our own commanders. The situation is calm at the moment. The enemy entered the Khtsaberd village, but our troops are still in their positions in Khtsaberd. This needs to be clarified tomorrow. Negotiations are underway for the enemy to return to its original positions, that is, the positions it held as of November 10th. Now, the political authorities and military commanders in Baku, Moscow, and Yerevan are holding negotiations,” he said.
Hayk Khanumyan noted that they simply wish to know whether or not it is dangerous to remain in Artsakh. “Should people stay here? If the agreement will be violated constantly, then tomorrow we must find out if it would be safe to stay in our home in Armenavan, for example, which is 1,700 meters away from the enemy’s positions. That is all we want to know so that we can figure out our plan of action.”
Hayk Khanumyan also participated in the defense of Khtsaberd. He said that replacement troops are now located there. “We are constantly in contact, but that has nothing to do with this. These attacks could have happened in another direction, it doesn’t matter. The issue is whether or not they will uphold all of that.”
He added, “Negotiations are underway for us to understand whether or not the peacekeeping troops or the state representing them can force one of the parties to adhere to the agreement. And if they are not able to, then we will think about other steps we can take. We will either leave or we will try to expand our security environment.”
Ami Chichakyan
