The other day, the members of the “Santa Claus visits everyone” 2022 initiative, who was supposed to go to Stepanakert to deliver Christmas gifts and treats to the children of Artsakh, were unable to move past the Tegh community checkpoint. Four persons met with the deputy commander of the Russian peacekeeping mission without reporters. The Russians claimed they had no right to negotiate in the presence of journalists. The head of the initiative, Samvel Movsisyan, presented the journalists what the discussion was about; He informed them that they had submitted their demand.
“Deputy of the Russian peacekeeping mission commander said they cannot ensure our safe visit to Artsakh. He warned that there could be a tense, dangerous situation there, which could go out of control and thereby further damage this situation. He said that they could not guarantee our visit because there might be such provocations on the other side (he means in the area of fake Azerbaijani eco-activists, NB) that we might lose our compatriots. They said that, at the moment, discussions are going on at the highest level about this issue, and they told us to wait for an answer. By informing them, one order of that leadership will completely solve this issue, instead of opening or closing it once or twice,” said Samvel Movsisyan.
According to him, the Russian side said that if they present the demands to their superiors, this one to their leaders, up to the highest level, they will have to wait for an answer from there, which will take days. The members of the initiative offered the peacekeepers to ensure their free movement through the corridor, but on the condition that the Azerbaijanis would retreat behind bars so that the Armenian group could move freely.
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The Russian peacekeepers rejected this condition. “They said they are ready to accompany us if there is a little possibility, but they cannot guarantee that there won’t be firing units from that side. It is not in their mandate to shoot, take, take by force.” According to Movsisyan, the deputy commander of the peacekeeping mission said that they did not promise that the corridor would be opened today; they only said that there would be an important meeting.
They probably meant Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s participation in the informal summit of CIS heads of state in St. Petersburg. The members of the initiative discussed what they would convey to the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping mission. Then they gave it to the Russians: they must act because the situation may become unmanageable both on the Armenian and Artsakh sides, and our patience is a matter of hours. They should speed up and open the way. In a conversation with the initiative members through a video link from Artsakh, they said they had set a condition for the Russian peacekeepers to open the road, and there should be no Azerbaijanis. They gave 48 hours, of which 12 hours had passed, and they also demanded that the peacekeepers’ commander meet with the people of Artsakh.
Nelly BABAYAN
