Why did Syunik become defenseless? In order to receive the answer to this question, the deputies of the Armenia faction have been making written inquiries to the state departments for about a year, after the November 9 document was signed. At the December 20 press conference, faction MPs Anna Grigoryan and Gegham Manukyan presented a whole series of written documents, revealing the chronology of events and completing what happened in Syunik.
How was a part of the Goris-Kapan road given to Azerbaijan? First, they recalled that Nikol Pashinyan had gathered the mayors of the Syunik province and told them to organize Syunik’s self-defense. The community leaders are actively digging trenches, carrying out large-scale operations, and after that, on December 17, they were ordered to return, about 20 km away from their deployment positions, digging trenches and positioning themselves. According to Anna Grigoryan, “Vagharshak Harutyunyan says, can you defend? Defend it. We are not with you, that is, the state is not with you.”
In February, Hrant Bagratyan published a document called a memorandum, which was a copy of the document. No government agency has confirmed the authenticity of the document. Civil Contract MP Sisak Gabrielyan said during one of the briefings in the National Assembly, when asked by journalists, that anyone can print something on an A4 paper. On February 10, during a question-and-answer session in the National Assembly and government, former Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan was asked about the Davit Bek-Goris road in Syunik. He answered that in Syunik, the border troops control the borders both on our side and Azerbaijan’s, but let us not discuss such issues in public. Meet in the relevant committees, invite representatives of the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, the NSS, find out the details, and then understand which part can be discussed publicly.
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But after that, no representative of the ministry came to the meeting and spoke about it. On January 15, they replied that there was no attached document after the November 9 document. Anna Grigoryan writes a letter to the Minister of Defense Arshak Karapetyan about the organization of the operation of the Davit-Bek-Goris and Kapan-Chakaten road sections, the latter saying that those issues are beyond the scope of the Ministry of Defense. In response to the question of whether there is any document regarding the withdrawal of the troops, on the basis of which the troops withdrew, Arshak Karapetyan answered that “the issues raised are beyond the competence and powers of the RA Ministry of Defense.”
On October 8, 2021, Anna Grigoryan sent another inquiry to Arshak Karapetyan. On October 27, during a question-and-answer session between the National Assembly and the government, Gegham Manukyan asked a question about the withdrawal of the troops in Kapan: were they on Mount Pela, or were they behind the mountain? On what basis was the decision made for the troops to withdraw? Did the Minister of Defense sign any document, memorandum, or declaration with the official representatives of any other country? He asked for a copy to be provided.
A month later, the Minister of Defense answered that the submitted questions were beyond the authority of the Ministry of Defense, and the question arose: to whom should these questions be addressed, to the Ministry of Defense or to the Ministry of Health? Gegham Manukyan is urged to make a written inquiry, and the government will tell them whom to ask. On the same day, Anna Grigoryan asked Nikol Pashinyan whether the withdrawal order with the troops was verbal or written, whether the issue was discussed at the National Security Council session or not.
Pashinyan answered then, “Have I ever denied that I was responsible for that decision? Whether it was in writing or orally, it was through their procedure. Yes, there was a discussion, there was no NSC session, but practically all the members of the NSC, the Foreign Minister, who says he was not aware, the deputy participated in that discussion, and a decision was made. The decision was made to avoid war. My conviction is that if that decision had not been made, there would have been hostilities and we would have had problems in Syunik. The decision was made with logic, the negotiation logic was that the 7 regions should be handed over, and those territories were handed over due to being part of 7 regions.” Anna Grigoryan stated that until recently, the government did not give any clear answer. The NSS responded that the organization and safety of citizens’ traffic on the aforementioned road section is carried out by a verbal agreement reached between the RA and Russian border services. Gegham Manukyan said that recently he received an answer signed by the head of the General Staff, Artak Davtyan.
“An answer addressed to me was entered in the secret section of the National Assembly. I do not have the right to publish the full answer, but the letter signed by the Chief of General Staff of the RA Armed Forces General Artak Davtyan states that in December 2020 in Syunik, the RA Armed Forces units and volunteer groups withdrew about 20 km, and the 20 km section of the Goris-Kapan road was surrendered to Azerbaijan based on a written document. I have signed an agreement not to publish a document containing confidentiality.” After that, he sent another inquiry, this time to the Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan, asking that on December 18, 2020, the Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan and the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoygu signed “On Organizing Safe Movement of Civilian Vehicles and Freight Roads.”
A memorandum, on the basis of the first point of which the General Staff issued a military order on the withdrawal of units and the Armed Forces in Syunik, urged to give an opportunity to get acquainted with the document. Papikyan answered on Saturday, “Apart from what is known to the public in a trilateral format on November 9, 2020, there is no document signed outside of that statement on November 9, January 11, November 26, 2021.”
He stated that there is a bilateral document that is not subject to publication as it is encrypted. In response to our question of whether Artak Davtyan gave you the secret document in violation, Gegham Manukyan answered that Papikyan also offered him to come to the Ministry of Defense and get acquainted with that document, but did not provide a copy. To summarize, Manukyan said that they had kept a secret from the public for a year on the basis of which the troops had withdrawn from Syunik, and only now it became clear from the letter of the head of the General Staff that there was a written document.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
