Armenia’s leading anti-corruption watchdog and three local human rights groups on Friday denounced the government’s decision to cede contentious border areas to Azerbaijan, saying that it is illegal and dangerous for residents of nearby Armenian villages.
In a joint statement, they said that the planned handover, which has sparked angry protests by manhy of those villagers, not only runs counter to the Armenian constitution and laws but also does not commit Azerbaijan to recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity or withdrawing from Armenian territory seized in the early 1990s and 2021-2022.
“The deployment of Azerbaijani forces, including border guards, in the immediate vicinity of the vital areas of the civilian population creates very serious and real security risks,” the statement went on, warning that the border villages in Armenia’s northern Tavush province could “depopulated” as a result.
“In the discourse of Azerbaijan’s president and his representatives, there is no mention of peace. There are only accusations and threats directed at Armenia,” Nvard Melkonian of Protection of Rights Without Borders, one of the signatories of the statement, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
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Residents of the affected villages have blocked roads and held rallies in protest against the Armenian-Azerbaijani border deal hailed Western powers. Riot police arrested on Thursday dozens of people who kept a vigil at the epicenter of the protests in one of those villages, Kirants.
The four Western-funded civic groups condemned the “excessive” use of force and the “illegal” arrests. “The suppression of residents’ legitimate concerns and struggle by police forces is not legitimate,” added their joint statement.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has defended his unilateral concessions, saying that failure to make them would provoke another war with Azerbaijan.
The civic groups brushed aside Pashinian’s explanation. They said that any border delimitation and demarcation carried out “under the threat of obvious aggression” violates international law.
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service
