Stepanakert taxi drivers note need for another road to Armenia

Residents of the Martakert District of Nagorno-Karabakh need an alternative route of communication with Armenia not to make a circle along the byroad, say taxi drivers from Stepanakert. The road through Kelbadjar, which activists seek to open, was not damaged during the hostilities, reports Gagik Bagunts, Vice-Speaker of the Karabakh parliament.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 18, in Karabakh, activists held a protest action and asked peacekeepers to let residents of the unrecognized republic enter Armenia through the territory controlled by Azerbaijan. The opening of a route of communication between Karabakh and Armenia as an alternative to the Lachin corridor would reduce tension in the conflict zone, Azerbaijani political analysts believe. According to the Armenian analysts' version, the road through Karvachar (the Azerbaijani name is Kelbadjar, – note of the "Caucasian Knot") is more preferable for residents of the northern regions of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The idea of opening an alternative communication between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh also causes fears among the Karabakh people, since they believe Azerbaijan can then achieve the closure of the Lachin corridor. Some residents of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh doubt that travels through the territory controlled by Azerbaijan will be safe.

Before the autumn escalation of the Karabakh conflict, residents of the Shaumyan District of Karabakh, Martakert, and adjacent villages travelled to Yerevan through Karvachar, notes Gagik Bagunts, Vice-Speaker of the Karabakh parliament.

According to his version, the infrastructure on the road through Berdzor was more developed than on the road through Karvachar.

After the transfer of Karvachar to Azerbaijan, residents of the Martakert District have to make a circle to get to Yerevan, says Mger, a taxi driver from Stepanakert.