23:01, 29 December 2020

Ombudsman of Armenia criticizes installation of Azerbaijani banner on Goris-Kapan road

A banner with a map of Azerbaijan placed on the road from Goris to Kapan. Screenshot of the video by NEWS AM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_P0RdLBAvQ&feature=emb_logo

People are alarmed by a banner with a map of Azerbaijan placed on the road from Goris to Kapan. Local residents fear for their safety, the Ombudsman of Armenia claims. He intends to address international institutions. Residents of the Syunik Region poured paint onto the banner.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 18, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia voiced a request to transfer the heights at Kapan to Azerbaijan, and on the same day, the Armenian military personnel left those positions. Residents of the Syunik Region held protest actions and noted that the withdrawal of the armed forces would lead to a decrease in security in the region.

After the borders had been defined, the road from Kapan to Agarak came under the control of Azerbaijan, and as a result, residents of the villages of Agarak, Uzhanis, and Yegvard found themselves in a partial blockade due to the poor condition of the alternative road, Kapan Mayor Gevork Parsyan announced. He proposed to arm residents of border villages with riffles.

Arman Tatoyan, Ombudsman of Armenia, appealed to international institutions concerning the installation of the banner "Welcome to Azerbaijan" on the road from Goris to Kapan.

According to Arman Tatoyan, residents of the villages of Agarak, Uzhanis, and Yegvard are alarmed by threats to their lives and property, the "News-Armenia" reports. The Ombudsman of Armenia notes "the results of the study confirm that the certain step of the Azerbaijani armed forces is aimed at intimidating residents of the border villagers in Armenia."

The map on the banner placed on the road from Goris to Kapan depicts a significant part of the Syunik Region and a number of other villages and towns as part of Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the Azerbaijani armed forces did not enter the territory of Armenia, but only approached its border.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 29, 2020 at 12:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.