Armenian Ombudsperson warns of fires threatening villages of Gegarkunik Region

The fires that onset on August 29 near the villages of the Gegarkunik Region on the border with Azerbaijan are spreading and threatening dwelling settlements; it is difficult to extinguish them due to the terrain relief and weather conditions; and residents of Armenian villages are afraid of getting under shelling, Arman Tatoyan, the Armenian Ombudsperson, has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 30, the Ombudsperson Tatoyan said that Azerbaijani militaries had deliberately set fire to pastures near the villages of Sotk and Kut on the border with the Kelbadjar District. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) has refuted the information about deliberate arsons.

On August 31, Arman Tatoyan posted, in his Facebook page, a video from the Gegarkunik Region of Armenia, where the outbreak of fires is visible. The fires, according to Tatoyan, engulfed not only pastures and hayfields, but also the hay gathered by local residents. He has again accused Azerbaijani militaries of arsons and noted that it is difficult for local residents to get close to some hotbeds of fire because of fear of being shelled.

The Ombudsperson has noted that fires are becoming more dangerous for civilians and are causing a lot of damage.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 1, 2021 at 03:39 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.