The head of the Aghavno village of Artsakh, Andranik Chavushyan, said that Russian peacekeepers demanded that the villagers turn in their weapons. The peacekeepers will uphold the residents’ security.
Aravot Daily asked Andranik Chavushyan about the current situation in the village.
He said that nothing has happened, and according to his sources, the person responsible for the Russian peacekeepers was fired. “I don’t want to create tension. Just the opposite- it’s not the time. But we will not allow anyone to destroy what’s sacred to us as long as we are on this soil. I don’t think they can tell us that we can’t fly our flag or carry weapons. They say that, meanwhile they allow large weapons and artillery to go to the other side. I believe that they’re referring to automatic rifles. It doesn’t solve problems, but it is a form of self-defense, and I have the right to that today.”
Andranik Chavushyan has held discussions with the Russian peacekeepers. According to him, he told them that the village is currently carrying out the tasks of the peacekeepers. “They said that our Armenian leaders have turned in their weapons, and that we are disturbing their work. That is how they want to get rid of me. I don’t want to make myself sound important, but I do have some influence. After taking all of that into consideration, I wanted to treat it carefully. I said that the tricolor flag has always flown above us wherever we lived, including in Syria and the USA. Now you’re trying to make laws in my own country? I said that those laws were not discussed with me. I will live as I always have- as an Armenian.”
Read also
Two families have returned to Aghavno. Andranik Chavushyan wants to improve the village’s conditions so that the remaining residents will also return. The village’s electricity is being fixed. “We are trying to construct the school. Minister Mane Tandilyan said that we will pay salaries via donations if we do not have the funding otherwise. Aghavno must remain, be repopulated, and grow. We want to organize this quickly. My children are not going to school or preschool. They stayed behind because of the coronavirus last year, and I don’t want the same to happen this year. We are doing our best, but it cannot be done alone. Everyone has to do their part. I cannot be the police chief and everything else. I don’t want to be everything. Everyone needs to do their own part.”
When asked if the residents of Aghavno are prepared to return to their homes, Andranik Chavushyan responded that he has not discussed the issue since he never told anyone to leave. “We have everything we need here. I’m saying that people just need to live here and maintain their homes. I’m doing that, but it’s not right. Your homeland is not a hotel. Do not leave your homeland alone when it’s wounded. Instead, stand with it. How many times do I have to say that homes are for those who live and create there, whether they are from Hadrut, Yerevan, or Abovyan?”
Ami Chichakyan
