Soon, the Azerbaijani side will not use the Karmir Shuka-Shushi route anymore. The State Minister of Artsakh, Artak Beglaryan, announced this during a press conference on Thursday. In general, intensive activities are being carried out in order to increase the level of security on Artsakh’s roads, according to Artak Beglaryan. “Of course, the Russian peacekeepers are the main ones ensuring security, and on a large scale, our security is maintained. Of course, small cases and incidents have taken place.
Responses or activities have occurred on some level. Naturally, our armed forces are carrying out preventive measures, about which many people are not informed, and they could not even imagine what could have happened if those incidents were not prevented. Yes, the Azeri side has been displaying some insidious behavior, including when crossing the roads, but I must state that soon, within the next couple of months, the Azerbaijani side will not use the Karmir Shuka-Shushi route anymore. We are taking additional actions here, and activities are taking place to increase the level of security on those roads, including issues of lighting at nighttime. Control is also strengthening even more.”
In response to a question about preventing emigration from Artsakh, the state minister said that there are two main issues for resolving that: the maintenance of long-lasting and stable security, as well as quick and effective solutions to living conditions. “Thankfully, I can say that unlike the beginning of the post-war period up until January, it is already obvious to us that the security conditions now are much more effective than many people believed. In other words, our expectations were worse than reality,” Artak Beglaryan said, adding that this already provides additional hope to society in terms of planning for the long-term in Artsakh.
Read also
Regarding potential developments after the Russian peacekeepers’ deadline passes, Beglaryan said that he does not believe the peacekeepers will only be deployed for five years. But as far as what the solutions will be like, only time and the activities of the main powers will tell. He believes that the Russian peacekeepers will be deployed for a long time, and, along with the Armenian armed forces, of course, they will maintain security. “Our agenda is to guarantee our security through peaceful negotiations and political processes, which we hope that Azerbaijan will be prepared for,” Artak Beglaryan said.
Nelly Grigoryan
