According to Tatul Hakobyan, the coordinator of the Ani Center for Armenian Studies, the closure of the Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of the Kapan-Goris road by Azeris is not a new situation. That road was almost not used, and dozens of people disappeared or were killed and wounded on that road because that road passed through the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan in Soviet times. During the discussion on the closure of Syunik’s roads in the Article 3 club, Tatul Hakobyan said that in 1990-1992, it took a day to travel from Yerevan to Kapan. People were passing through the ruined inner road of Tatev.
“In August-September of 1993 when the Armenian forces left for the Kubatlu region, the Azeris left and that road began to function normally. That is, this is not a new situation. The news is that the Armenian authorities did not realize that time must be used properly and the internal road must be used as soon as possible because we will always come across these situations. Moreover, the Republic of Armenia needs an alternative route. People can say what they want to, but they must judge things clearly,” Hakobyan said. According to him, the road from Goris to Kapan to the village of Chakaten passes through many parts or to Soviet Azerbaijan, and those borders were restored after our defeat, or the road enters the territory of Azerbaijan.
“And if we do not pave it or make use of the operating route, Azerbaijan will constantly demand the Zangezur corridor. In 1991-1993, the Armenian armed forces were able to establish control over these territories and traffic was restored. In 2020, when we lost, we signed the document and promised to return all the territories to Azerbaijan. Yes, the armies were to stand in the positions where they were on the day the ceasefire was signed, but the Armenian side also surrendered this portion because in December, there were no Azeris near Vorotan, Shurnukh, or Karmrakar in the Chayzani section which is now closed. They came in December-January. We should have built the internal road very quickly in 8 months.”
Read also
Nelly Babayan
