Baku keeps the corridor that connects Yerevan with Nagorno Karabagh, the Armenian enclave on Azerbaijani territory, closed. Tension over the situation in the town of Tegh. The local population feels overwhelmed by the dispute. Any negotiations must take into account the indomitable nature of the Armenian population living in the area.
Moscow () – The chairman of the Armenian Parliamentary Defense Committee, Andranik Kočaryan (see photo), met with journalists to explain the situation of the Lachín corridor, the subject of a dispute. Currently the corridor prevents the communication of Yerevan with Nagorno Karabagh, an Armenian enclave in Azerbaijani territory. The Armenian deputy focused on the situation of the village of Tegh, a key node in the affected area in the eastern part of the Siunyk region, 88 kilometers from the border town of Kapan, where the army has been based since November 2020. command of the “pacification” forces of the Russian army.
There are also Azerbaijani armed forces in the area, and it is not clear to what extent they are in collusion or in conflict with the Russians, as well as the Armenians. According to Kočaryan, the Azerbaijanis have not done anything to liberate the area, despite repeated statements to this effect. At the same time, the bodies designated by Baku and Yerevan are working on the correction of the borders, which indicates that, at least on paper, the situation has improved in the vicinity of the village of Tegh, as well as in the other center of Kornidzor. .
As the deputy explained, “when we talk about improvements, it means that we have incorporated this crucial stretch into the discussion. And although we still do not see real transfers, perhaps we are beginning to understand what is ours and what is theirs.” We hope that “at least they start to withdraw a bit,” he said, referring to the Azeri.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian declared during a government meeting that “border relocation points have been set at 7 and 12 kilometers, and work is underway on another 5 kilometers around Tegh.” According to the analysis of the Armenians, the adversaries have established facilities with engineering works 100-300 meters from the border points, violating safety distances and general agreements. “We are talking about it with the Azerbaijanis, so that they get away from Tegh, but if they don’t understand, the day will come when we will have to find a way to make them understand,” the president added.
As Kočaryan points out, when the Baku government really starts to liberate the area, it will be possible to talk about the “reciprocal withdrawal” of the military from the hottest areas. Therefore, an investigation on a legal basis will be necessary to fully understand who is responsible for the incidents that resulted in multiple victims and the sum of the problems that block the entire corridor. He specified that action will be taken “at all levels, from the lowest to the highest, focusing on the actions of the different authorities on the ground.”
In the town of Tegh, there is an administrative head of the community, and the population mixes with the military forces. Due to the maintenance and repair of the roads, there are several sections affected, which are decisive for the passage of vehicles. So far, no action has been taken against officials from the Armenian side, and the Tegh Municipal Council awaits the arrival of a commission of inquiry, together with government representatives, to “clarify numerous issues that remain obscure,” Kočaryan reiterates. .
One of the members of the Tegh Council – representative of the opposition against the “elders” of the village – Masis Zejnalyan, traveled to the capital of Siunyk, and asked the regional administrators to visit the place to verify the situation. “It doesn’t matter which side they are on, the professors from the House of Culture can come, as long as someone really tries to understand how the locals live, now left like butterflies fluttering in a prison,” he added. crops to set up their facilities, and the inhabitants feel cornered between soldiers and police of all factions.
The citizens of Tegh, says Zejnalyan, have no intention of “giving up their bread” and “they are not going to give up without a fight, what future awaits us?” It should be remembered that, as always happens in these territories, any negotiation must take into account the indomitable nature of the population.
