“I consider the option of the depopulation of Aghavno village to be very problematic,” said Taron Hovhannisyan, an expert on Azerbaijani issues of the Orbel center, during the Aravot program “Areresum (Confrontation)”. During his last press conference, addressing the question of what will happen to the villages of Berdzor, Aghavno, and Sus after the construction of the bypass road by Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said: “In the event of a change in the route, the territories that are not within the former border of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region will be transferred to the control of Azerbaijan.”
“Yes, on the one hand, it can be said that from the document of November 9, it follows that that part of the former region of Lachin, Kashatagh, is given to Azerbaijan,” Taron Hovhannisyan continued. “But on the other hand, I will put this on the opposing side, such as with the occupation of Parukh.” He also mentioned the Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd, the territories occupied by Azerbaijan from the former Nagorno-Karabakh region after November 9. In the tripartite statement of November 9 it is specifically stated: “According to the agreement of the parties, in order to ensure the connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, within the next three years, a project for the construction of a new route along the Lachin Corridor will be approved, after which the Russian peacekeeping troops will be redeployed to protect this route.”
The other guest of the program, military expert Karen Hovhannisyan said, “We constantly refer to the November 9 document and our obligations with that document, and our steps arising from them. Meanwhile, we do not refer to Azerbaijan’s obligations with that document regarding prisoners of war and hate speech.” The mayor of Berdzor, Narek Aleksanyan, informed the mass media that gas pipes are being dismantled by “Artsakhgaz” in Berdzor. Although, according to him, “There is no official information that Berdzor or Aghavno have been given a deadline. The residents also live their normal daily lives.”
There is a danger that what happened after November 9, when the news of the surrender of Berdzor spread and people left their houses, many burning them, will happen again. Taron Hovhannisyan called this problematic and wrong. “If there is a similar exit that cannot be avoided, the residents should at least be informed. At least we are talking about the humanitarian side of the issue. But I am talking about another side. I believe that there is a possibility, if done correctly, to preserve at least the population of Aghavno. And if we remove the population of Aghavno from there tomorrow, that possibility, which is now, for example, 40 percent, will become zero.”
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In case the situation develops as such, there is a danger that everything connecting Armenia with Artsakh will come under full control of Azerbaijan. In the winter and spring of 2022, Azerbaijan had already closed the Armenian gas pipeline under its control twice, as a result of which Artsakh was deprived of heating. Is there any guarantee that such cases will not be repeated in the future? “Of course, there is no guarantee. And the issue is not solved only by building a road,” said Karen Hovhannisyan. “In fact, communications are also very important. And it is through that section that the entire artery of Artsakh passes: internet connection, electricity, gas, and all the rest. And the construction of communications is much more complicated than building a road through those rocks and canyons and handing it over to us.”
At the press conference, Nikol Pashinyan announced that Azerbaijan is trying to create “legitimacy for a new war.” “They mean that new war in three months, three years, or 30 years, that’s a different issue. But the vector of actions is that. How real is this perspective, isn’t this a hint that the alternative to not making concessions is war,” Karen Hovhannisyan said in response to the questions. “When the government of RA started talking about the peace agenda, I have been insisting since then that Azerbaijan is not really going for peace and will still make demands.” According to him, “The possibility of military operations was not liquidated after the November 9 document. There is still a danger of war.”
And Taron Hovhannisyan said: “The conflict deepened after the war. And every war, naturally, deepens the conflict, starting from many humanitarian factors, up to reconfiguration of the territory, which increases the danger for Armenia and Artsakh.” He added: “The existing configuration creates very serious risks from the point of view of a new war, military operations, because Azerbaijan understands that it cannot leave time to itself, because after 5 years something may change from the world or Armenia’s point of view, and after 10 years there will be a different situation. And their main task at the moment is to reach concessions through pressure as soon as possible, or at most to fix such a situation, after which RA’s chances of recovery will be almost zero. Therefore, the danger of war remains very serious in this situation.”
Anna ISRAELYAN
